Fragile
by Espionage247
Summary: Sonic has been through countless challenges before, but never with such a great threat looming over his head. With only lady luck and Sally on his side, can Sonic beat the clock, gather the emeralds, and save the world in time? And while trying to figure out what exactly he feels for Sally as well? Must a heart be so fragile? Sonsal with plenty of action and adventure! Complete!
1. My Whole World in Flames

**Chapter 1: My Whole World in Flames**

After taking only a few steps backwards, Sonic stopped and looked around. It just wasn't going to work. Not only could he not see where he was going, but he couldn't even tell if he was going to walk into anything. That in itself drove the hedgehog crazy.

Sonic exhaled as he looked up at the sky. Could nothing entertain him anymore? Although, yes, it had been a sad attempt to amuse himself by means of walking backwards, it had been better than nothing. And yet, like everything else, it just wouldn't work. Inhaling, Sonic turned around and began to walk, feeling as lonely and bored as ever.

Years. It had been years since any attack against humanity had been planned by Eggman, years since anyone had turned to the sky and screamed in terror from the sight of the madman's latest and greatest creation. In the last two and a half years, no malicious threats had been issued, no deadly plots announced, no vicious monsters released, nothing. There hadn't been anything in the slightest, and that was that.

At first, near the beginning of this period of time, Sonic took the good doctor's hiatus as a victory and a huge accomplishment on his part. For once in his life, the hedgehog could enjoy himself like any regular teenager would. For once, he could simply sit back and relax without any worries, just as he had been planning on doing for so long. Ah, how nice a long and undisturbed nap sounded…

Of course, when nothing happened for not just weeks, but several months that gradually morphed into full-fledged years, it caught Sonic's attention and caused his confusion to take off in overdrive. Why had Eggman suddenly stopped trying? What on Mobius had brought him to the conclusion that he was done showing his ugly mug to the world? Just when exactly had he thrown in the towel?

Only one event had gone on in the past two and a half years since Eggman first disappeared, and it occurred closer to the beginning of his withdrawal from society. That single event, however, consumed Sonic with fear all-powerful and despair unrivaled every time he thought about it. And unfortunately for him, that event was still fresh in his mind.

It was almost as if it was still happening every time he thought of it. Though he always did his best to block out that horrible day, the images and sounds remained buried and burned deep into his memory. Although he was able to forget certain parts over time, like little details that had no meaning in the big picture, Sonic could never forget how badly he had messed up on that mission. All he had done was claim to be strong enough for the task and failed to stop and think, and the result of it? His cockiness had almost cost Tails his life.

He had been just a bit too slow that day, and not only had that shocked him beyond all possible belief, but the possibility of losing his best friend had filled him with a toxic combination of despair and disgust towards himself. How could he have failed so spectacularly? How could he have become so weak and, dare he say it, slow? After the bulk of the incident had gone and passed, the distressed hero turned to the only person he could have thought of for help: Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow, at first, had been more than reluctant to help. Mere moments after the Ultimate Lifeform had opened the door to see Sonic standing there, begging for him to teach him the ways of the chaos arts, Shadow had slammed the door in his face and ordered him to go away. He was dead set against teaching the impatient hedgehog an art he was surely never to understand, but after several long days of quite literally getting on his hands and knees and pleading for Shadow's assistance, Sonic finally received the answer he desired. With Shadow's guidance, he mastered the chaos arts.

Of course, the lessons used to teach him the ways took more time and patience than Sonic had ever dealt with before in his life. Suffering relentless mentally and physically abusive exercises, Sonic constantly found himself subject to a series of dark black and blue bruises, and deep, red gashes and wounds. For the first half of his training, he often went to bed sore and exhausted, usually falling asleep before his head even touched the ground beneath him. It was long and bitter work, and at times, the hedgehog believed that a beating from Eggman would have been kinder treatment. And yet against all odds and the beliefs of his mentor, after a full year of training, Sonic finally completed his lessons and bid his goodbye to his teacher, to the mentor who had become his close friend.

Ever since then, the hero had been able to use the chaos emeralds as well as Shadow could. But as with every other good thing that had occurred in the past few years, there had been major down sides with that positive event. To his misfortune, Sonic hadn't seen anyone but Shadow for a year—possibly even more. He hadn't caught the faintest glimmer of Tails, Knuckles, or even Amy in such a long time, which was especially shocking since Amy in particular was usually so good at finding him.

To say the least, it had been beyond strange to be alone for so long, and Sonic had to be honest about it all: he was lonely. Yes, he was insanely grateful for the friendship he now shared with Shadow, no doubt about that, but it had been a long time since he had even seen Shadow. An entire year had passed since he completed his training and said goodbye. And now here he was, walking through a forest backwards, trying his hardest to entertain himself in any way possible. For a second, the world seemed to stand still in shock.

So much had changed since that incident two years ago. Although Sonic, as observant as he was, couldn't quite catch everything that had changed, he knew for a fact that a lot had, especially when it came to himself. For not only had he mastered the chaos arts in the time that he had spent training with Shadow, but he had also grown physically and changed in how he... dressed, per say.

In particular, Sonic remembered that during his training, there was a certain exercise where Shadow had him swing from tree to tree and avoid every chaos spear that his master shot at him. At first, Sonic performed miserably, and was struck by almost every single spear sent in his direction. If Shadow hadn't been going easy on him, the hero would have died for sure. Or in the very least, he would have been seriously injured. How many bruises and scars had he earned from that single exercise alone, even with his master going easy on him?

That day marked the first of many where Shadow made him do the drill over and over again, making sure he would be able to avoid every spear with inches of room left over each time. Needless to say, it was exhausting work. At times he would have rather hit himself with a metal baseball bat than go through with it, but as with all the other exercises assigned to him, Sonic did it anyways.

After weeks of practicing over and over for hours at a time, and after taking blow after blow, Sonic was finally able to pass the course without being struck once. And oh, how joyful he felt to finally be free from that horrid course. Finally, he could go a full day of training without receiving quite so many black and blue souvenirs. At last, he was free!

Of course, moments after reaching the final branch, Shadow made him redo the exercise a few more times before they called it a day, just to make sure he had really passed. It took only a handful more of the successful runs to satisfy him, and once Shadow had accepted them as fit, he excused his student from his daily lessons. But just as Sonic had spun around and began to walk off, Shadow called him back and ordered him to hand over his gloves. Though confused at first as to why the Ultimate Lifeform wanted the Hero of Mobius's gloves of all things, all Sonic had to do was look at his them to realize how trashed they were.

Without another word, Shadow took his gloves—or whatever was left of them—and sent him on his way. The next day, Sonic came to the pleasant surprise of a gift Shadow had picked just for him: a new pair of gloves. They were brown, made of leather, and tougher than his other pair, and once he pulled them on, he discovered them to be fingerless, save it be for the thumbs. It was far different than what he was used to, granted, but he grew to love them all the same. A similar experience later in his training led to the replacement of his signature shoes.

But not only did the hedgehog sport a new ensemble, but something he never once expected to have in life: chest fur. It was the same color as his belly and had started growing shortly after he had started his training, fluffing out into a soft and full coat that, as silly as it was, made Sonic smile every time he thought about it.

Quietly, as he meandered through the forest and reminisced about people and places and events, the young man ran his fingers through his fluff of fur and inhaled deeply. How tired he was, but how awake he was at the same time. How aware he was of the world around him, and how alert he was of everything that rushed through his mind. Without anybody to talk to for so long, Sonic's life had become incredibly quiet and, dare he say it, empty.

Sometimes, when the hedgehog would become especially bored and sick of seeing all the places he had already been to a million times, he would wonder if sticking around had any meaning anymore. He would question if running around had any real purpose other than to distract himself when he knew for a fact that nothing would entertain him anymore. Was there any reason to keep wandering around when he knew there was nothing to find?

He couldn't find an answer, no matter how hard he looked. But he knew he couldn't stop going. He just had to keep running no matter where his feet took him, no matter which way the wind blew and the sun set and the world changed…

Sighing, Sonic looked down at his hands. Would anything happen anytime soon, would anything change? Anything at all? Or was he doomed to always be alone? He didn't know, and to be honest, he almost didn't want to know. The answer and thought of it alone was scary. Shaking his head, he continued to walk down the path surrounded by trees, bushes, and other kinds of foliage. Sonic was unsure of where he was at that point. He was heading toward a forest of some kind, that was for sure, but beyond that, he had no idea where he was heading. It was unfamiliar to his memory, but somehow, it felt as if he had been there once before. Maybe he was just—

A shadow flew past and over him, and without a second thought Sonic looked up. His eyes flew wide open and his heart skipped a beat out of excitement the moment his eyes settled upon the owner of the shadow. Smiling, Sonic ran forward, following the man in the tiny egg-craft. Surprise of his lonely thoughts suddenly being answered, the small smile on his face evolved into a euphoric grin. Finally, finally, something was happening!

"Hey Eggie," Sonic called out brightly. "What's up? Other than you, of course?"

Unsurprised by the sound of his enemy's voice, despite the years of absence they had taken from one another, Dr. Eggman turned and looked over the edge of his craft with his eyebrows raised, a mischievous grin resting lightly upon his face. "Ah, if it isn't my least favorite blue hedgehog here to harass me. I'm guessing you're wondering what I'm doing, as always?"

Sonic grinned and nodded, "Of course. So why don't you make it easy today and just spill the beans?"

Sarcasm filled Eggman's voice as he let out a loud "Ha," and replied, "Now that wouldn't be any fun, would it Sonic? I'm not quite ready to deal with you yet, hedgehog, but trust me when I say this: what I have in store for you is going to be one adventure you will never forget!"

"Trust me, I won't!" Sonic exclaimed, heart racing in anticipation. "But why don't you let me kick you around a little bit now just for old time's sake?"

Eggman smirked and shook his head, "Like I said hedgehog, not yet." Then looked ahead and sped up.

Sonic stared at the man with a confused gaze glued to his face, glancing down every once in a while to make sure that he wasn't going to crash into anything as he pursued his old foe. It was unusual behavior from Eggman. He never ran from a fight with Sonic. Usually he just played along to humor him—which usually ended in Eggman being brutally beaten—but for some reason, he was just shrugging off the hedgehog's challenge.

Something was off about Dr. Eggman. The look beyond his glasses was sharper than usual, more focused than ever before. There was something strange about him, no doubt, and though Sonic didn't know what it was, he was intent on finding out. But to dismay, it wasn't long after following Eggman that the growth and bushes around him grew into a lush forest of trees and bird cries.

It became almost impossible to keep an eye on Eggman and run without crashing into anything at the same time. The forest was incredibly dense in its undergrowth, with countless trees that branched out among long untamed grasses, deep thick roots that stretched across the forest floor, and shadows that danced endlessly from the leaves rustling above. Not only was that all so, but the thick density and number of leaves hanging above was so intense that the hero was only able to catch a glimpse of Eggman once every few seconds. It irritated him, but not as much as the realization that struck him after five minutes of running, when he realized he had been pursuing a bird for half of his chase. Growling once he discovered as much, Sonic stopped in his tracks.

Was that really how it had to be? He knew that Eggman had something big in store for him, but how long was he going to have to wait to find out? It had already been two years since his last adventure… was Eggman really going to have him stay still and wait all the longer? It was going to drive him insane. Fuming with frustration and feeling quite bored of his situation, Sonic sighed, shook his head, and decided to explore the nostalgic forest.

Maybe it was time to call Tails. It had been more than a year since he had last seen his best friend, and perhaps, as much as he didn't want to, it would be a good idea to inform him of what was going on. Because most likely, Tails had probably increased in genius exponentially over the time they had been without contact… with his mind, maybe Eggman's so called "memorable adventure" wouldn't be as difficult as anticipated. Heck, with Tails' help it would be just like old times, maybe even easier this go around! But then again, Sonic did like a good challenge. Perhaps he would wait awhile before talking to Tails.

Thinking about his little brother made memories and images of other friends he had been so long without seeing creep slowly back into his mind as he wandered. Knuckles and his ornery attitude always made his smile and laugh, as well as Rouge's constant ways of "cheering him up." Cream's unending kindness always left a lasting impression on the hero, and Amy... well, she was a good friend, but he wished that she would see that's all she'd ever be to him. She was relentless in her following of him.

Sonic had seen Silver and Blaze a while back on an interesting adventure together that had ended quite well, and he saw Shadow when he passed through Station Square, where he always made sure Sonic was still practicing. And then beyond all of them, there was an entire other group of friends Sonic hadn't seen in an even longer time, than he had seen Tails. Indeed, there was an entire group of friends that he hadn't caught head or tail of in several years… an entire group of friends he had known since his childhood and missed dearly. Silently as he continued his stroll through the forest, his eyes closed lightly, Sonic began to wonder how they were doing, or if they even remembered him…

All of a sudden, something heaved Sonic from his train of thought and back into reality. There were no more animal cries that could be heard. Not even the squeal of birds prevailed throughout the air. How hadn't he noticed that earlier? Something was wrong. Without another thought, Sonic opened his eyes and began to look around.

When he listened carefully to the world around him, Sonic could hear the cries of a handful of creatures off in the distance, but they all sounded scared. So scared in fact, that it sounded as if their very lives were at stake. What was going on? It didn't take long for Sonic to realize what it was, because moments after he had opened his eyes and started looking around, the scent hit him like a mallet: fire.

He let his senses guide him through the forest as he feared for the worst. Although he was in the mood for adventure, he hoped and prayed that no one was hurt in any way. A day like his ending in a tragic misadventure was not what he had expected in the slightest sense, and with the lack of any action whatsoever lately, it left the hero a little anxious for what was to come. What if he messed up again like he had with Tails? What if someone got hurt because he was too slow? When the hedgehog's eyes set upon the first layer of the scene, his heart nearly skipped a beat from shock.

The view ahead, as illustrated from the clearing Sonic had dashed into, was a burning, blazing, raging blaze. Not only was the forest on fire, but there were countless animals running from the chaotic scene. They were not like Sonic, not Mobians, as they were incapable of coherent speech, but the fear in their eyes and hearts were unmistakable. But who knew? There was a very real possibility that there were Mobians within the forest's flames that were fearing for their lives. And if there were any of them in there, there was no way the hero could let them die or be harmed. He wasn't going to let anyone else suffer at Dr. Eggman's hands.

Growling at the thought of his old foe, the hero shook his head briefly.

"Darn it Eggman," He whispered as he ran forward, looking up at the stars that had arisen during his run one last time before he flew into the flames, "Why'd you have to stoop so low?"

His mind made up, Sonic ran deep into the burning forest.


	2. A Blue That I Love

**Chapter 2: A Blue That I Love**

Though the first few initial steps into the flames were not particularly difficult, Sonic knew the challenge was going to be hard. The air in the beginning wasn't very thick, and the flames themselves didn't seem to be too strong, but before long, he realized how dangerous it truly was in the fire. Moments after he had broken past the fine line between the blaze and the regular world, a wall of smoke collided with his lungs like a wrecking ball, forcing sharp coughs and gags up his throat as he ran.

Other than the flames, which became more furious the farther he burrowed himself in the trees, it was pitch black, for night had fallen faster than expected. Would he be able to rescue whoever he found in forest since it was already so dark? Would he even be able to find them in the first place without a source of light other than the fire illuminating his way? Taking in a deep gulp of air, probably the freshest air he would get for some time, the hedgehog pushed the dark thoughts away. Failure simply wasn't an option, and neither was fear. He just had to run.

So rather than allowing the flames to intimidate him, Sonic picked up the pace. Instead of serving as a setback, the very force that could bring him to his knees was going to push him harder towards that survivor, wherever they were in the forest. Though he didn't know how, Sonic could feel it running through his veins and burning in his bones. Someone within the forest was still alive.

Despite his resolve, however, it only became tougher to continue from there. The smoke was not only making it harder to breathe, but it also made it difficult to tell where patches of flames dwelled. When he reached such bursts of fire, he nearly jumped fifty feet in the air to avoid them. The task was so physically demanding that not only was his body tired after a few minutes of running, but his spirit as well.

The morale he had spent so much time building up was already so small that he was almost ready to quit. He had not heard or seen a single glimpse of any Mobian, human, or any living creature since before he had ran into the forest, and as confident as he was in his abilities, it filled him with a sense of fear. He knew that there was someone he needed to rescue, but he didn't have an idea as to whom. Hopes of the person still being alive filled him as he ran faster, but they fluctuated with the blaze.

Looking around as he panted heavily, suddenly pulled back into reality, Sonic realized after a time he was entering some sort of a village. There were several huts standing next to the now monstrously tall trees, but many, if not most of the houses, were actually built into the trees themselves. Curiosity filling him as an outlandish sense of familiarity crept in, the hedgehog failed to recognize the weakened tree before him.

As if it had all been planned, a loud crack filled the air, causing him to glance up and catch a glimpse of a large branch falling from the corner of his eye. His heart skipping a beat, he leapt in a desperate attempt to avoid the limb, only to suddenly be pulled back with a powerful force that brought him to the ground. Yelping, he hit the ground with a heavy thud. Gah! He struggled to pull himself up as soon as he could, turning back to see that his left leg was pinned under the branch. Growling, he shook his head. Well this was just great. Of all the times to be in mortal peril, he just _had_ to be in danger right now!

He moved his leg for a brief second to feel a mighty bolt of pain shoot up and down. Ohhh great. Now there was a possibility that his leg was broken. Shaking his head in frustration, Sonic glanced over at a patch of flames that was steadily growing nearer as he coughed.

Ugh! There was no time to sit there in pitiful pain. He had to get up and find that person! He swallowed and with all of the strength he had in his upper body, pushed himself up. The pain intensified and it made him cringe, but no, he couldn't let it stop him. Gasping in an attempt to free himself and somehow locate clean oxygen, his heart suddenly skipped a beat when he heard the one thing he was sure he would never hear in the smoke-chocked air.

There was no way it had been his imagination, for it was filled with emotions too real to be a day-dream. As impossible as it sounded, he had finally heard the cry for help he was hoping he'd catch. He had heard a scream for help. A new intensity filled him as he struggled even harder to get up. His ears were twitching by then, as he listened to the cries of help be repeated over and over again. Gosh darn it, this was ridiculous! His pride taking over and common sense dying off for the moment, Sonic pulled his hand out and yelled, "Chaos control!"

He suddenly found himself five feet away from the branch, now standing with an aching leg. Upon landing on said leg, he nearly fell to the ground. Holy crap, that did NOT feel good. Steadying himself, Sonic stood up and anxiously began to look around. It was silent except for the raging flames, and for a glimpse, Sonic wondered if the plea for help had perhaps been a final cry. He held his breath, expecting the worst until he suddenly heard another scream, slightly louder than its predecessor.

The scream instantly led him off towards an area where the mass of trees weren't as dense. Once he arrived, his eyes instantly came to what had to be the largest tree he had seen all day. There was a door at the base of the tree, with a large window standing above it. Broken glass and flames were escaping from the window, and as he let his eyes fix upon it, he heard another scream once again.

Sonic rushed towards the door and with one strong kick, knocked it down. He ran in full force, ignoring the excruciating pain that was filling him. He coughed several times as he looked around, the flames and smoke thicker inside the tree than on the exterior. Doing the best he could, Sonic shouted, "Where are you?"

The only reply was a muffled scream from above. Sonic looked around once again, searching for any way to get to the floor above. He ran off towards the back of the literal tree house where he found what once had been a staircase. The structure had collapsed in the fire, and all that was left was a mass of splintered wood. Growling, Sonic shook his head. This was one adventure he had not anticipated, and right then, one he wished was a little clearer, if that was the way to put it.

Backing up as far as he could before touching a wall, Sonic took in a deep breath and shot off. He crouched and using as much strength as he possibly could, bounded upward. He made the jump easily, but with a great reminder of the pain he was in. Although he made it to the next floor, he landed on his stomach. "Wow," Sonic whispered as he stood up and limped down the hallway, "That sure was graceful." Ignoring his annoyance at the situation, Sonic swallowed and called out, "Where are you?"

His ears twitched when he heard several loud coughs a bit farther down the hall, so without another word, he quickly made his way to the door on his left. Failing to think, Sonic reached his hand forward towards the door knob. Although his palm and thumb were protected from the burn, his fingers were almost instantly blistered from the intense heat. He yelped, then glared at the door. "For crying out loud," he shouted, lifting up his right leg and with one strong kick, sending the door flying off its hinges. "Does everything in this world want me to suffer today?"

Sonic coughed several times before he rushed in, glancing around anxiously for the owner of the voice. "Are you in here? Hello?" He coughed once again and soon after, he heard another series of coughing answer him from the closet. Panting, Sonic hurried over and pulled the door open, the flames growing stronger and stronger by the second. Inside the closet and curled up on the floor sat a young woman who was holding something close to her chest. She was a Mobian, but other than that, Sonic couldn't make out any details. She looked up for just a second before Sonic spoke.

"Come on," He ordered, turning around and crouching down. "Get on my back. We've got to get out of here."

The girl was silent, but she complied all the same. Her extra weight made Sonic's leg explode with pain to the point where it began to throb, but rather than saying anything, he merely bit back on the pain. Now that he had her, all he had to do was make his great escape and all would be well. Nodding to himself as he bounced, lifting her a little higher in the process, he spoke, his voice raspy from the smoke. "Which way?"

She pointed a shaky finger towards the broken window, assumingly because the hallway had been claimed. Sonic nodded and exhaled, "May not be the safest and cut-free way, but at least it's out of this furnace!" and gritting his teeth while the girl held on tightly for her dear life, Sonic once again backed up.

He ran forward and jumped out through the window, trying his best to avoid the sharpest shards and flames. Like his previous avoidance technique, however, it didn't quite fit the bill. He felt the same leg that had been pinned under the branch become deeply cut by an unbelievably sharp shard of glass, sending yet another jolt of pain through his system. Yelping for just a second, Sonic gritted his teeth, heavy beads of sweat rolling down his brow as he landed on the ground. This pain was almost too much for him, but he didn't stop to catch his breath. He was almost there. Standing up straight, he began to run forward at a slow pace.

"You didn't get cut, did you?" he asked.

"No, but you did. Are you okay?"

Sonic shook his head as a sort of response and a way to cut off further chit-chat. "No time to talk. Gotta save my breath so we can get out of here alive." He panted, tightening his grip around her legs. "You better hold on tight... cause I'm not going to hold back!" And with that, he shot off.

The hot wind flew past him at a blinding speed. His heart was beating faster and faster with each second, his lungs pumping heavier with everything moment. Goodness, he felt as if he was going to collapse. His leg was burning, screaming, begging and pleading for him to stop, if only for a second. Couldn't he at least take a moment to catch his breath? Maybe even pause so he could check out the damage done? Swallowing, Sonic shook his head and sped up. No, he couldn't stop quite yet, not until they were to safety. He wasn't going to let the girl down!

Although it felt like forever and a half, it only took a few minutes to escape from the raging inferno. Fresh air didn't come until a few miles later, but once the hedgehog discovered it, it made him cough even harder than before, thanks to him being used to such harsh oxygen. The girl coughed along with him the moment he started, and it was at that point that he realized she was shaking as she held on to him. She must have been in that fire for at least a half an hour longer than he had... so how bad were her lungs at the moment?

When the thought ran through his mind, the hedgehog's drive to get her to safety increased and forced him to run faster, but his leg pulsed stronger with hurt the faster he ran. Oh, there was no way he could keep going for too much longer. But if he could just keep it up for a few more minutes...

Sonic didn't know how long he had been running, but going by his own estimation, he had to be at least twenty miles from the furious inferno when he spotted a small sort of cliff that, he noticed when he drew nearer, led off to a small river at the bottom. It wasn't a long jump (for him at least), or something that appeared even remotely difficult to clear in the first place. Easy. Speeding up once again, Sonic let his determination fuel him upwards, but before he could actually perform his leap of faith, the worst scenario occurred.

Just as he came to the edge of the cliff, his leg finally gave way. The hedgehog stumbled and fell off the mini cliff, both he and the girl screaming as they were separated in the air, only to suddenly find themselves face to face with a wall of water a few seconds later. Crap, crap, crap—

It felt like his face slammed into a slab of concrete when he landed in the water, and soon after finding himself submerged, the hedgehog came to a horrible realization. The river had to be at least twenty feet deep, and Sonic couldn't swim. Even if he could swim, however, his leg was in too bad of condition to get him anywhere. Feeling the water rising over his mouth, Sonic tried to scream, but his cries were instantly drowned out.

He thrashed about as wildly as he could as he descended deeper into the water, but it did him no good. Not only did it make him sink faster, but it also made his leg condition even worse, if that was even possible. How could all this have happened? The idea of death had always been so far away from the hero, but that day, it had acted like a dear friend. Sure, his run through the fire had been a… thrilling adventure, to put it kindly, but Sonic wasn't taking a liking to how it was ending. Could the day get any worse?

Just as he felt himself gradually fall into unconsciousness and began to give into the water's pressure, Sonic suddenly felt a hand grab onto his and pull him upwards. Shocked, Sonic's heart skipped a beat, forcing him to turn his gaze upwards. Wait, what? Before he could fully question what was going on, the pressure surrounding him lightened and released its grasp on him as he and his rescuer drew nearer to the surface.

When he broke through the water, gasping wildly and deeply for pure oxygen, Sonic gripped onto the girl for dear life as she fought her way to the shore. Wheezing once he found himself in water shallow enough to wade through, his eyes covered with a layer of water, Sonic released his grasp on her and began to crawl forward. Beside him, he could hear her panting for proper breath as she too scrapped her way through the rest of the water. After crawling blindly for a few precious seconds, Sonic fell to the grass beyond the river's bank, the girl collapsing next to him within the next second as they panted in unison for clean oxygen.

His leg broken was broken, bleeding, and sending shockwaves of pain throughout his whole body as exhaust bled into his system. Smoke was still escaping his lungs, and because of it, he could feel his awareness for everything around him fade. Carrying her with all the strain that had forced itself upon his body had wiped him out, and to top it all off, he had almost just drowned. Needless to say, for the first time in months, Sonic was drained.

Panting, Sonic lifted his head in defiance of his fatigue, and through the moonlight, looked at the girl. All he could tell was that her eyes were closed and she was panting along with him, but the sight comforted him. He had saved her. Swallowing before he passed into unconsciousness, Sonic whispered.

"Thank you."

She nodded, "No problem. You saved me... it's the least I could do."

The two nodded to one another once more before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>The first thing that pulled him into consciousness was a lone bird's cry. Sonic's eyes opened slowly at the sound of it, and at first, his body protested the simple maneuver. Holy crap, he was exhausted… Once he managed to accomplish the miniscule feat of opening his eyes, his vision filled up with a sea of green blades and a large tree trunk off to the side, with drops of dew decorating the blades and bark in a spray of twinkling color. What was… where was… huh? After examining the view for a few seconds and reorienting himself, the hedgehog realized that he himself was still a little wet. Perhaps it had rained last night after they escaped?<p>

Taking in a deep breath, Sonic pulled his arms up and pushed himself onto his feet. He was light-headed after he stood up, but he quickly managed to shake it off before he looked around. They were surrounded by trees taller than any of those in the village, the river flowing silently behind them, save it be for the occasional trickling sound. How far out were they?

Sonic swallowed as he glanced around. Though he had a general idea, he wasn't quite sure where he was at the moment. And even though she was asleep, he was sure that the girl didn't either. He glanced at her for a second before he turned to face the tree that he had woken up to. "Well, I guess this is as good as place to find where I am as anywhere else."

Once he was standing close enough to the tree, Sonic looked up. "All right..." He whispered, crouching down low. "Here we go!" Pushing upwards, Sonic flew through the air, landing softly on a low branch. He bounded again and again until he found himself on the highest sturdy branch available.

Once he was standing securely in his spot, Sonic looked off in the distance to see if he could spot anything he recognized. Surprise filled him when he realized how tall the tree was, which stood taller than most of the trees on top of the mini cliff. Holy crap, these things were massive! Squinting at the mass of greenery, Sonic began to smile. Running all that distant had paid off, for if he had stopped about five miles sooner, the two would have been toast. Nodding to himself, Sonic continued to glance at the remains of the once beautiful forest.

A noise below him, almost like a moaning made his ear twitch. Nodding, mostly to himself, Sonic spoke. "So you're awake now? Seems like we've been out of it for a while."

The girl didn't respond, but Sonic could hear her stand up and walk around below him. "I'm glad I didn't stop earlier. If I had, we would have been roasted. It's just too bad about the forest, though. But at least we got out of there safely." Sonic spoke, once again receiving no response. "Anyway, how are you? You feeling any better?" Still, there was silence. He hummed, "Okay then, what's your name? I never got a chance to ask you."

Silence was present for only a second, but the voice that broke it was filled with shock. "Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Sonic smirked and chuckled as he turned, "Well yes, I know my name, but what's your—" but he stopped mid-sentence, for when his eyes met hers, his heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes were a deep blue that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight that shone through the trees. Her red hair was messy, her brown fur was ruffled in several spots, and her skin colored belly was covered in dirt. She wore only a blue vest and blue boots with crisscrossing laces, and she was holding a small device in one of her hands. The girl was just as amazed to see Sonic as he was to see her, for it had been over two years since their last encounter. She… it was…

A smile crawling onto Sonic's face, his heart taking off at the same time, the hedgehog spoke. "Sal. Sally Alicia Acorn. It's been… it's been a long time."

She smiled slightly, but the joy on her face was obvious in spite of her efforts to conceal it. "Yes, it really has."

Sonic's grin was growing larger and larger as he watched her, making the blush in her cheeks brighten and the smile on her face widen. Excitement rushing through his veins, the hero laughed, "Hold on, I'm coming down!" and looked down at the tree limbs below him. Sally nodded in response, and watched as he steadied himself and jumped down to a lower branch.

Yet to his misfortunate, the hedgehog landed on his left leg, and the remembrance of his broken leg returned in the worst way possible. He yelped and without anything to hold onto, fell from the tree. Sally gasped, and Sonic hit the ground with a loud and painful thud. It felt as if his lungs had been crushed upon impact, so with a moan, Sonic spoke, "Why does this keep happening to me? Ow..."

Mere moments after colliding with the soil, a steady and careful hand pulled Sonic up, and a worried voice sounded. "Oh my gosh Sonic, are you alright? What happened, why did you fall?" As the hedgehog readjusted himself into a proper sitting position and Sally's eyes found his left leg, she gasped once more. "Oh my, Sonic! How did, oh, your leg is covered in blood!"

Sonic swallowed and spoke. "The blood is from the window. Didn't exactly feel too good since I broke my leg right before that."

"Wait, what?! What happened?"

Panting as the pain returned in full force, Sonic cringed. "When I was running to come save you, a branch sorta fell on me... I'm pretty sure my leg broke thanks to it. Well, if it wasn't after it got crushed, it sure is now."

Sally shook her head. "Oh man... I'd say 'oh poor Sonic' if you would have used your head! For crying out loud, you were carrying me that entire time and you had a broken leg? And now you're jumping around everywhere as if you just won a million rings... Sonic! You just never use your head!"

He smiled and shrugged, "Heh, I guess not."

Sally simply stared at him with an expression of disbelief. Sonic smiled in return, and eventually, Sally's shocked face transformed into a smile and a light laugh. "I sure have missed that dumb face of yours."

Sonic grinned, "Glad to hear it." and paused for a second. An undeniable warmth filled his chest as he sat there and looked at her, so without thinking for even a second, he leaned forward and hugged her. She jumped in surprise and stayed in that position as he spoke. "I've missed ya Sal... I really have." They were both silent for an instant, but it didn't take long for Sally to wrap her arms around her friend in response.

"Me too, Sonic."

The embrace ended before long, and Sally stood up and looked around. "We need to get you back to Knothole so we can patch you. We have some first aid stuff that will have you up and running in no time."

Sonic grabbed onto the tree to pull himself up, "Wait, I thought that everything was made of wood and burnt—hold on, that was Knothole?!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

Sally turned back to him with a grin adorning her face. "Yep, that was Knothole. And don't worry. Some of the buildings and trees had been treated with a fire-proof chemical. My house unfortunately wasn't, but the hospital and several other buildings there were. We just need to get you there in once piece and you'll be as good as new."

"Alrighty then," Sonic sighed, leaning most of his weight on his right leg. "Just climb on my back and we'll be there in no ti—"

"Oh no you don't, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sally called, walking up to him with her index finger pointed at him. "You were carrying me all night with a broken leg! Not to mention, that same leg was bleeding for at last half of your run, _and_ your lungs were filled with smoke! We are going to take it easy and walk!" She ordered, poking a finger to his chest.

Sonic jumped and attempted a step backwards, "But—"

"No buts! I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already are! Besides that, I'm in a lot better condition than you are right now. You're in no position to argue!"

Taken aback in surprise, Sonic looked at her with wide eyes. She hadn't changed a bit. Smiling, Sonic sighed. "Okay, whatever you say. You're the princess."

Sally nodded, a grin quickly taking over. "Now that's better. Come here," she said, walking over and grabbing his arm. "Today, I'll help you instead, alright?" She pulled his arm over her shoulders and put her other arm around his waist. "Let's get over to that bridge so we don't have to swim."

"There was a bridge? I can't believe I missed it!" Sonic shouted as they began their walk.

Sally grinned, "It's okay. You were tired and it was dark. Besides, I was okay with rescuing you. Made me feel heroic." Chuckling at her comment, Sonic nodded. It was silent for a few seconds before Sally spoke again. "By the way, I like the chest fur."

Sonic raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I was hoping you would."


	3. I'd Recognize That Fatso Anywhere

**Chapter 3: I'd Recognize That Fatso Anywhere…**

When Sonic's eyes found Knothole he could barely believe what he was looking at. The long walk had taken several hours and his leg was throbbing by the time they finally arrived, but the pain in Sally's eyes instantly silenced all of his hurting. Her eyes suddenly lost the radiant light that had been shining so brightly, and that made Sonic's spirit fall as well. She looked at the ground with sad eyes and sighed. It no longer looked like Knothole... it didn't even look like a forest anymore.

The entire walk to Knothole had been filled with joyful laughter and stories that made each other awestruck and amazed. Sonic had told Sally several stories of how he had "whipped Eggman's sorry butt" several times in their absence of each other. Sally who although commented very often, never had a story to share. He pressed her to share, but she nearly shook her head and said, "No, I want to hear all the adventures YOU'VE been on. You'd get bored from my stories." She'd often laugh and tell Sonic how dumb one of his mistakes was (to which he'd agree reluctantly) but now, there were no words that formed from her lips. Sonic was sure that he'd never seen her that silent before.

Sonic couldn't help but feel not just empathy, but feel utterly lost and sad as he looked around. This place had once been his home and now it was gone. He swallowed as Sally led him through the burnt village to a large building that was connected by several trees that seemed to morph to each other. Unlike the other tree-buildings, this one still stood. The only evidence that fire had ever touched this building was the thick layer of soot that was floating away in the soft whispers of the wind.

Upon reaching the building, Sally looked at Sonic carefully. "I've gotta put you down for a second, okay?"

Sonic nodded, "No problem."

Sally nodded in response and carefully brought him closer to the building. Next to the door was a small mail box that Sally let him lean on. "There's no weight on that leg, right? You're not putting weight on it, I mean. Right?"

"I'm all right Sal." Sonic said with a slight smile.

She smiled back at him and turned to the door, the smile fading as she walked forward. Sonic sighed, examining the damage intently. Though several trees were still standing, the few one that stood had literally no foliage left. Trees that still lived and breathed were scared beyond what healing could fix, countless houses were totally ruined beyond measure, and overall, the place was ruined. It almost made Sonic want to take Sally and run away from here as fast as possible... if his leg wasn't totally broken.

"Access granted. Welcome Sally to Knothole infirmary." Sonic twisted his attention to Sally, a little thrown off by the unusual voice. Before Sonic's eyes could reach whatever made the sound, Sally's arm was already around Sonic yet again. She helped him forward as he tried to see what it was, but soon gave up when they found themselves in the building. The door shut behind them making a swoosh noise. It was dark for a second before the entire place lit like an empty sky visited by fireworks.

Sonic's eyes grew wide at the complexity of the place. He even gaped in amazement, but Sally spoke before anything could occur. "You were wondering who, or what made that noise earlier, right?"

A little thrown from the statement, Sonic nodded. Sally sighed as she helped him to a chair in the front room. Carefully, she pulled something out of her pocket and showed it to Sonic. He instantly recognized and his eyes lit up. "Holy cow, it's Nicole!" The small handheld computer did nothing and Sonic suddenly became a bit confused.

Sonic stretched his hand out to touch her, expecting at least some sort of a reply. His fingers brushed against her for a second, but there was nothing. Before he could question, Sally helped him onto his feet yet again and began to walk him down the largest hall. They walked past several doors until they reached one with a large sign on it with the words 'medicine cabinet' on it. Sally reached her free hand forward and opened the door. The light flicked on, revealing endless shelves of white bottles.

"Sorry, gotta put you down again." Sally said, once again repeating the procedure of putting Sonic into a place he could support himself. As Sally walked off, Sonic couldn't help but ask the question that had hit him.

"Sal... why didn't Nicole recognize me? I know it's been a long time, but I-"

"Her memory was erased."

The response was emotionless and hard, and it hit like a stone wall. Sonic took a step forward, "Sal, what happened-" but a bolt of pain shot up his leg. He cringed and crumpled to the wall, his back against the wall.

"Sonic!" Sally ran to his side, sliding next to him as she dropped the containers she had been holding. Sonic bit his lip and Sally spoke, "You've got to be more careful! Oh hold on a second," Sally stood up and ran out of the room. She was only gone for a few seconds when the sound of squeaky wheels reached Sonic's ears. His eyes became wide and he felt himself shrinking back. There was absolutely no way he'd-

"Here, it'll be a lot easier if you just let me push you around in this." Sally said as the wheel chair found its way into the room. Sonic looked up and down at for a second, disbelief in his eyes.

"I'd rather walk myself. Besides, I'm more than capable to-OW!" His leg once again stopped him from stepping up. He sighed as Sally pulled him up and into the wheel chair. How embarrassed he felt to be pushed around in a wheel chair, much less by a girl! Although Sonic knew she'd smack him if he said that out loud.

He got comfortable after a few seconds of moving around, but still had a look of defeat on his face. Sally laughed as she looked down at him. "There we go. Much better!" He didn't respond and he growled. Unfortunately for him, it was just loud enough for Sally to hear. She laughed as she grabbed the containers and set them on his lap. "Aw, is Sonic sad that he has to be pushed around by a girl? Oh poor little Sonic!" She patted his head playfully and walked to the back of the wheel chair as Sonic grumbled.

"Oh shut up."

His comment only made Sally laugh harder.

Sally brought Sonic down the hall farther after exiting the medicine room, leading him into a room that was slightly larger than the others. When the lights turned on, it was much dimmer than the other rooms. Despite this, Sonic knew exactly what was in the room, but it surprised him a little bit.

"Now before we get an x-ray of that leg, you're going to eat some of the stuff I grabbed. Hold on a second," she pushed him over to a table that sat next to the wall, then walked in front of Sonic and grabbed the containers. She placed them on the table as Sonic gazed upon them with intense curiosity. "I'm warning you," she said, taking the lid off of the first container, grabbing a small packet that had been in the container. "It tastes absolutely awful, but it will help."

"What is it?" he asked as she opened the packet and took out a green mass of mossy substance. She handed it to Sonic and he looked at with confusion.

"A special kind of moss that stimulates the body's immune system and other body functions to help you heal faster. I'm guessing with medical attention, you would take about three weeks to heal from something like a broken leg. You heal a lot faster than most Mobians, or anyone else for that matter. However, with this moss, it can heal you twice as fast, even four times as fast! The more you take, the faster you heal."

Sonic's eyes lit up, "Well then let me at it!"

"Not so fast hedgehog!" she paused for a second, "Whoa, that's weird to say that to you." she shook her head and continued, "You can only take the amount I gave you. Although it heals the body, there are bad side-effects."

"Like...?" Sonic asked, still holding the amount Sally gave him.

"It dulls the senses. If you take too many, you literally blind yourself from any outside source for several hours, maybe even days. You can only take a little bit at a time, and even that's a risk. Speaking of which, you should probably eat yours, it tends to sour quickly when exposed to the air for too long."

Sonic eyed his serving carefully, raising an eyebrow before letting the thing come towards his mouth. She continued as his tongue tasted the disgusting moss. He nearly threw up, but judging by Sally's expression, he needed to swallow. It dissolved a little bit in his mouth before he swallowed it, but the taste still lingered in his mouth. "Ugh..." he moaned, sticking his tongue out in utter disgust. She smiled slightly, leaning down for a second.

"I told you it was nasty." she said, handing him a water bottle. He grabbed it and within seconds was swallowing mouthfuls of the liquid to wash out the taste. "A good thing about its side affects however, is that it acts like the perfect pain killer. This way, we don't have to use money on stuff like morphine."

"So," Sonic said, twisting the lid back onto the bottle. "This stuff just grows everywhere around here?"

"Yep." Sally simply responded, wheeling Sonic closer to the machine. "Once we get your leg treated and if you take your moss every day, you'll be up and running in about ten days."

Sonic's eyes grew wide. "Ten days?"

Sally shrugged, "Be happy it's not going to be the full three weeks."

He sighed and nodded, "True."

* * *

><p>"Sonic the Hedgehog, you get back here right now!" Sally exclaimed, chasing the hedgehog across Knothole in a furious effort to take his cast off.<p>

Sonic laughed as he wheeled down the forest, moving at a slightly faster speed than what Sally could travel at. "Catch me if you can Sally!" he yelled back at her, a grin keeping his expression happy.

"Gosh dang it Sonic, just let me take your cast off! It won't hurt a bit; it will just take a few minutes!" Sally yelled as Sonic pulled a tight turn left, leaving Sally in the dust for several seconds before she stumbled after him.

"Too bad! You'll never catch me!" he laughed, looking behind with a grin. It became blindingly obvious that Sonic was not only fast on his feet, but fast in a wheel chair too. As soon as he learned he could wheel himself around, he became the fastest wheelchair racer Sally had ever seen. This on some days, like today, was not exactly the most joyful fact ever.

Sally growled, growing weary of chasing Sonic everywhere. "Fine!" she yelled, out of breath. "You just go around everywhere looking like an idiot while I actually get to walk around!"

Sonic's ears pricked up when the idea of being able to walk around returned to him in full splendor. He looked around for a second before breaking as hard as he could, cringing at the squeaking of the wheels. Sighing, Sonic began to back up. He very much wanted to start walking around again... he had been in the wheel chair for a week and he had to admit, he was sick of it. He continued to back up until he was next to Sally, a sarcastic look on her face. Sonic hung his head and sighed.

"Okay... let's go."

Sally nodded with a slight grin, and then began to push him towards the infirmary. He hated how she was always right...

It had been a week since Sonic had his leg patched up and been traveling in the wheel chair, and the entire week had been spent helping Sally fix Knothole up. Most of the work was carrying the dead wood away and patching up broken parts of several buildings, but Sonic had enjoyed it. Anything to fix up the place he once called home felt rewarding to him, especially since it made Sally so happy. Of course, there were the times that had not only made Sally happy, but there were times that had resulted in Sally laughing so hard her sides hurt. That included the times he had spilled paint all over himself, transforming into a red hedgehog instead of a blue one. Sonic on the other hand had not found that funny in the slightest sense.

Today was the day that Sonic would finally be able to walk again, and it was filling sonic with pure joy. Thanks to the medical care and the putrid medicine Sonic had been taking, he'd be able to run around in about three days, so long as he didn't put further strain on his leg. Yet Sonic had to admit, he was a little worried for the cast removing procedure to go on. He trusted Sally... he just didn't want his leg to be hurt again.

Sally looked down at Sonic as they walked into the hospital, a small smile on her face. "You ready?"

Sonic sighed, "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

><p>The removing of the cast hadn't actually taken too long and once his leg was finally free, Sonic couldn't help but jump up and grin. "Finally!" he exclaimed, stretching his leg out. It was still sore, but it felt like he could finally breathe! Sonic laughed a little as Sally sat up with a grin.<p>

"You feeling better?" Sonic nodded and Sally continued. "Good. Just remember not to run on it for awhile, okay? You still need your medicine every day, but other than that, you're good."

Sonic smiled and sighed, taking a deep breath in. "That's just refreshing to know, you know?" Sally raised an eyebrow at his odd comment, and Sonic laughed for a second. "Well let's go outside, okay? I want to look around a little more."

When Sonic got outside, he couldn't help but smile. Being free from that cast meant that he could finally help out full time with restoring Knothole. That in itself made Sonic quite excited. Sally suddenly giggled a bit, making Sonic raise his eyebrows. "What?"

She pointed toward his tail, "Look."

Sonic turned, struggling to look down and behind at the same time. He smiled though, seeing that his tail was also waving with excitement. He let out a "ha" and looked at Sally. "Looks like I'm a little too happy, huh?"

Sally nodded with a grin, looking at her tail. "You're not the only one."

"Ha, we have goofy tails." Sonic laughed, realizing a second later that he sounded like a young child. Sally grinned as his cheeks flushed red, her cheeks also turning a deep red. How silly it was, laughing over their tails...

Suddenly, a thought hit him. It was like someone had thrown a brick at his head, it had hit so hard. He perked up and exclaimed, "Holy cow! I was going to go see Tails!"

Sally jumped at his comment, but looked down at his leg. "Well, you're not quite in journeying condition yet. Do you want to use Nicole to call him?"

Sonic nodded, "Do you still have his number?"

Sally pressed a few buttons on Nicole before nodding. "Here," she said, "I'm calling him right now."

"Good. I'm going to go get a look up from above the buildings. And don't worry, I'll use my arms to climb up!" his statement answering the question Sally was going to ask, Sally smirked.

"Just be careful."

He chuckled, "Aren't I always?" he said, turning to a rather tall tree. He smirked, then grabbed on. Sonic took a deep breath in and looked up. This would be a lot easier if he could use-oh yeah! "Chaos rift!" Sonic exclaimed, suddenly shooting up the tree in short and quick motions. Within seconds, he was on a large branch, looking over Knothole. From up above, he could see how trashed the place was for the first time. He had a lot of work to do...

"Hello?" a familiar voice from Nicole spoke, making Sonic look down with a sudden energy.

"Hey Tails." Sally said with a grin.

"Sally! Wow, I haven't talked to you in forever! How have you been!"

Sally smiled again, "I'm good, but someone needs to talk to you right now." She looked up at Sonic and motioned him to come down.

Sonic nodded and looked down. "Chaos control!" he exclaimed, warping down to the ground. Sally's eyes were a little wide, which reminded Sonic that he had never told her about his chaos powers. Shaking his head, Sonic walked over. When his eyes found the screen, he couldn't help but smile. He sure had missed that face.

When Tails realized who was looking at, his eyes shot open. "Sonic!" he yelled, a large smile on his face.

Joy filling Sonic, he nodded, "The one and only."

"Oh Sonic, where have you been? I've been trying to contact you for months and now you're there and-wait a second, is that chest fur?" Sonic raised an eyebrow and Tails let out a nervous chuckle, "Right. Sorry, just kind of threw me off. Well since we're a little off topic, I heard you yell chaos control. Can you..."

"Use chaos powers now, yes I can." Sonic said, Sally looking at him with an expression of confusion. "But back to what we were talking about, because I'm pretty sure we were going to talk about the same thing." Sonic's voice suddenly became very serious and that made the other two follow his lead. "About a week ago I was walking around when I saw Eggman. He told me he had some big plans in store and got away. Tails, I haven't been able to learn about anything because... well, I broke my leg. Has anything suspicious gone on outside of the forest?"

Tails nodded, energy filling him as he continued, "I was getting to that Sonic. Sonic, Eggman launched a-" and suddenly the transmission became fuzzy. Sonic's eyes grew wide as Tails' expression became confused.

"What was that Tails? I couldn't hear you!"

"Trans-is fuzz-getting interference-can't-" and the screen changed. Instantly, Sonic recognized the man on the screen, but that couldn't stop him and Sally from gasping all the same.

Eggman was standing in front of a large control panel of some sort, a large grin on his face. "Citizens of Mobius! Lend me your ears!" he yelled, undefined confidence on his face. "It is finally time that you bowed to your new ruler! Behold!" the camera angle zoomed out at a speed that Sally could barely follow, but Sonic instantly recognized. When the camera stopped moving, Sonic and Sally gaped.

On the screen stood the single largest robot Sonic and Sally had ever seen. It was so large the screen could not fit the entire object and instantly, Sonic knew that this was why Eggman had not revealed any plans in the last few years. This was why he had led Sonic into the forest and burnt it down, so Sonic would not see it's take-off. This truly was Eggman's greatest-and most devastating-invention ever.

"As many of you saw several days ago, this magnificent creation was launched into the sky and is now heading towards the moon. I am pleased to tell you that in about a month's time, unless you all bow to me as supreme ruler of Mobius, your planet will be destroyed!" he exclaimed, a disturbing giddiness to his tone. "Within in an entire cycle of the moon, this robot will be fully charged-due to me not being able to locate the chaos emeralds-and ready to attack!"

"Many of you ask how this task will be done, but I assure you, destroying it will be no small challenge! This robot is easily larger than the moon, and with its power, I will hurl the moon into Mobius and destroy your puny planet!" he laughed evilly, Sonic's expression now becoming a little sarcastic. "And if that doesn't work... well, I could destroy the planet with just the robot itself!" Sally was covering her mouth in shock as he continued. "Your only chance for survival is to declare me as supreme ruler of the planet! Unless of course, you're willing to take your chances with your hero... but on second thought, that would be quite exciting!"

Eggman grinned, "So how about it Sonic? One last battle! You versus me, winner takes all!" Sonic smirked and chuckled, and it almost seemed as if Eggman himself had seen his reaction, for Eggman smirked as well. "You have twenty nine days Sonic. I'm assuming you'll gather the chaos emeralds... and in which case, this truly will be a battle you will never forget!" he turned around, laughing manically, "Until then, Sonic the Hedgehog!" and the transmission ended.

Sally was looked at the screen with wide eyes, shock filling her. The transmission with Tails suddenly returned, unending worry now on his face. "Sonic!" he exclaimed, snapping Sally out of her daze. "What are we going to do?"

It was silent for a second as Sonic looked off into the distance. Swallowing, Sally spoke, "Sonic... what are we going to do?"

Sonic laughed and turned to them with a smile that filled them both with a renewed hope. "We'll do what we always do." he stood up straight and pounded his fist into his palm, his confidence almost overwhelming. "We're going to kick Eggman's sorry butt."


	4. Run

** Chapter 4: Run**

The sun had set and the final glimpses of day-light had faded into the shadows, and Sonic couldn't help but feel a little excited. It had been several hours since the call and Eggman's announcement, and now, Sonic and Sally were going to go to Tails' house. Sally was off grabbing some supplies (including several items that Sonic had requested she grab) and Sonic was stretching in the mean-time. This run was going to be much different from the rest of his runs...

Sonic took a deep breath in, looking down at his leg. Although still broken, he knew that if Sally had grabbed those supplies he had asked for, it wouldn't be broken anymore. It wouldn't take long... but it would be incredibly risky, yet that didn't scare Sonic one bit. In fact, it just made this whole adventure a bit more interesting. He stretched out his leg once again when he heard footsteps. He looked over to see Sally running towards him, carrying a large water bottle and a small box to the side.

"I got what you wanted Sonic," Sally told him, stopping to catch her breath. She handed him the water bottle and put the box down, sitting so she could rest. "I don't know how you do this all the time..." she sighed as she looked up at him. "Why'd you want me to grab so much medicine anyways? You only need three more days' worth until your leg's all better."

"I'm getting to that..." Sonic sighed as he opened the water bottle, sitting on a lone tree stump on the bare hill.

"Sonic, how are we going to get Tails' house anyways? He lives half-way across the continent, and we have no mode of transportation. You told him we'd be there in a few hours."

Sonic smirked, "You see Sally that is where you are wrong. We do indeed have mode of transportation, and it happens to be the fastest way I know." he paused for a second and smiled. Pointing to himself, he said, "Me."

"Sonic, your leg still isn't any better and-" Sally paused and her eyes grew wide. Her eyes met the box of medicine and went back up to Sonic. Without another word, she dove for the box.

Sonic had been anticipating such a move, and was able to dive for and grab the box before she could. He rolled in ball form for a second, holding the box carefully before standing up and turning to her. "No! No, no, no, there is no way I am going to let you do this Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, running toward him.

"Sally, hold on a second!" Sonic yelled, extending his hand forward. Sally crashed into his hand, his palm keeping her from coming any farther. Angrily, she flailed her arms about in an attempt to hit him in some way.

"You'd have to be a complete idiot to try such a dumb idea! You give me that box right now or I'll-"

"You'll what Sal? Punch me in the gut? Like you can reach me right now. Besides," Sonic said, stepping to the side as he released his grasp on her. She fell forward a few steps before turning back to look at him, her balance regained. "I actually thought it through this time." Sally folded her arms, her expression irritated.

"I'm listening." she said, a disappointed glare on her face.

"Lighten up Sal," Sonic said, opening the box as he sat on the stump. She sighed and he smirked as he continued. "You said that the more I take the faster I heal, right?"

"Yes, but it dulls the senses." Sally growled.

He chuckled at her orneriness, but spoke. "I did the math a while ago on some paper... and if I took seven doses, it would take only about fifteen minutes for my leg to be all the way healed."

Sally's eyes grew wide, "Seven doses? Sonic, that would virtually blind you! Not to mention, if you are running like that, you are sure to kill yourself. And trust me; I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a pretty sight to clean up hedgehog chunks."

"I know that Sally, just hear me out, okay?" he said, making her sigh. "Eggman said that we have twenty nine days until he destroys the planet, and there's only one way I know of to stop him. The-"

"The chaos emeralds." Sally interrupted.

"Yes," Sonic spoke, "The chaos emeralds. Here's the problem presented. Like all journeys previous, I have no idea where the chaos emeralds are. Each time I go super, the emeralds separate themselves and unfortunately, that makes them hard to find. Usually when I'm on a quest to find them, I have Tails go with me, which is why we need to get to his house so fast. He will with no doubt know a way to locate the emeralds. Plus, with you coming with me, I'll be able to stay in constant contact with him."

"Wait, you want _me_ to come along?" Sally asked a little bit surprised.

Sonic raised an eyebrow, "I assumed you wanted to go. I'm pretty sure you've always wanted to go on a chaos emerald search with me, since they are so legendary at this point."

Sally nodded excitedly, "Well of course! I'm just surprised that you don't want Tails to come along, since he is your best friend and all."

"Well normally I would, but..." Sonic stopped mid-sentence, a dark memory returning to mind. Shaking his head, Sonic sighed, "Not this time. But anyways, we need to get going. I know it's risky to take so many doses at once, but we seriously don't have three days to waste waiting for this to heal. Plus with the fact that we don't know where the emeralds are piggy backed with the fact you're coming, I have a feeling that this journey will take longer than most."

Sally smirked, "Ah, how kind to point out that I am a slow down factor to Sonic the almighty hedgehog."

"Hey, that's not what I was saying at all-"

"I know, I know." Sally sighed, looking at him with her hands on her hips. "Just one question... if you are going to carry me while we get to Tails, how are you going to avoid all the trees and obstacles?"

"Ah ha, the golden question has arisen!" he smiled, making her raise an eyebrow. Sonic simply pointed to his ears that twitched slightly when he poked them.

"Your... ears? Sonic, even your sense of hearing is going to go down though, no matter how good it is."

"I know that Sal, but what about sense of touch?" he asked.

She hummed for a second with eyes closed. "Well, I don't know... well, now that I think about it, the sense of touch isn't as affected as much as the others. In this case, what's your so-called-brilliant idea having to do with this?"

Sonic grinned, "When I need to turn, you'll tug on my ears in a specific way to make me turn. Slow right is pulling right ear forward, hard right is pulling that ear back, and so on and so forth. Yes it sounds silly, but it might just work."

Sally hummed, "Not half bad of an idea, Sonic. Just one last question. What if that doesn't work?"

Sonic shrugged, "You'll just have to scream really loud."

"And what do I do if I want you to stop?"

"Pull on both of my ears." he smiled.

Sally sighed and shook her head, sitting down as Sonic began to pull out several of the small packets. "This has got to be _the_ dumbest idea I've ever heard. Sonic, you do realize this could kill you and possibly me? Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Has that ever stopped me before?" Sonic asked.

"Right..." Sally sighed, "But you do realize you sound incredibly stupid to top it all off, right?"

"Relax Sal," Sonic said, putting the box down by the stump, the seven packets now all on his lap. "When have I ever sounded or looked stupid but ended up being right? Let me answer that: almost every time." he told her, lifting up the opened water bottle rather quickly.

"Which would explain why you just poured half of that on yourself?" Sally asked with heavy sarcasm in her voice.

Sonic looked down at his wet chest fur and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that didn't happen, got it?" he said, grabbing the packet, "Now help me open these, okay?"

Sally sighed and nodded, walking towards Sonic and grabbing the nearest packet. After one was opened, they placed in on a small pile on the stump. After it was all opened, Sonic grabbed the small pile and looked at it. He sighed and looked up for a second, "Here goes nothing," and he put it in his mouth. He lifted the water to his lips and swallowed as much as he could as quickly as possible. When the water was gone, he gasped, a disgusted expression on his face.

"You okay?" Sally asked as Sonic coughed a few times.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine... that was just... ugh, that was gross. If I hadn't been taking these this entire week, I would have in no doubt puked my guts up. Ugh..."

"Well, I guess it would be a good idea to just wait then, huh?" Sally asked.

"Yeah..." Sonic sighed, resting his elbows on his knees as he breathed heavily. "If I was right, we'll be able to leave in about fifteen minutes. Until then, I need to rest for a second. Can you contact Tails and tell him we're coming? Oh, and please load a map so we'll be able to know where we are."

Sally nodded, "No problem," Sally said, grabbing Nicole from the pocket she had put her in. As Sonic sat there, grabbing the box and destroying it via chaos powers, Sally called Tails. The device rang for a second before Tails appeared on the screen.

"Sally?" Tails asked.

"Hi Tails," Sally said, "We'll be there in a few hours. We are going to be on our way soon."

"That's good. Where's Sonic?"

"He's just over there." she said, turning Nicole so Tails could see Sonic. Sonics' head hanging as he resting, he raised a tired hand and waved. When his hand went by his side again, Sally turned Nicole back. "Do you know a way to find the chaos emerald?" she asked him.

Tails nodded, "Yep. I'll tell you guys more about it when you get here." Tails told them, "In the mean time, I need to get some things prepared. I know this was a short call, but can we talk when you guys get here?"

"Yeah, no problem. See ya later Tails." Sally said.

"Later!" Tails exclaimed. The transmission ended, and Sally nodded to herself. She had one last thing she needed to do before they could leave.

After pressing a few buttons on Nicole, a large map appeared on the screen. It showed the entire continent, showing a small glowing dot to illustrate where they were. "Input destination: Mystic Ruins, Mile "Tails" Prowers home."

"Destination confirmed." Nicole said, becoming quite silent afterwards. The quiet made Sally sigh, feeling quite sad that Nicole's memory was still gone. Now was not the time to think of such sad things though... she had to think about the goal at hand. They just had to wait a few more minutes and they'd be on their way. Looking up at the stars in the sky, Sally swallowed. So many things were ahead... and so many challenges. Was she strong enough to face them all? Would she be strong enough for everything she had to do? This had all happened so fast, and she still felt too over whelmed to think about everything. Shaking her head, she continued to gaze upon the beauty the night sky held.

After several minutes of star gazing, Sonic spoke, making her jump. "Okay... I can honestly not even see three feet in front of me." Sonic said, standing up as he looked around. "Sal, where are you?"

Sally stood up and walked to Sonics' side, grabbing his shoulder. "Right here."

"Okay than... I have no idea what you said, but we need to go." Sonic said. "My leg feels great... so it's now or never." he said, crouching down. "Climb on."

Sally nodded to herself, putting her arms around his neck and her legs by his side. He stood up, holding her legs to support her. He jumped once so she could go a little higher, and then nodded. "If you want to stop me while I'm running-by the way- just tug on both ears at the same time." he told her. "Okay... I have no idea which way to start off in."

Sally glanced at Nicole, holding her out so she was even to the ground. An arrow pointed out, showing which direction they were facing. She patted his right shoulder just a bit, and luckily, he got the message to turn a bit to the right. The directions and the way they were facing now in perfect harmony Sally yelled out, "READY!"

Although she couldn't see it, Sonic grinned. The smile was filled with so much energy that no one could ever rival it, no matter how hard anyone tried. "Alrighty than..." Sonic said, "Let's go!" And for the first time in a week, Sonic ran. He laughed, going so fast that Sally was now screaming in shock of how fast he was traveling. Sonic could hear the scream-but only barely-and that only made him laugh harder. This was what he loved to do.

After the initial shock of the run wore off, Sally stopped screaming. She felt a strange calm fill her and as she looked around, the nostalgia that had been in her heart the entire week disappeared. Glancing at Nicole for a slight second, Sally nodded to herself. They were heading in the right direction, and they wouldn't have to turn for a while. Feeling just a little tired, she said, "Notify when obstacles are near, Nicole." the little machine made a sort of dinging sound, and she nodded. Sighing, she rested her head on his back, whispering to herself, "I sure have missed this."

As the night passed on, Sally couldn't help but marvel at how much faster Sonic had gotten. The views and the surroundings they were passing were going so fast that she could barely see what was going on. Of course it had almost always been like this when he carried her, but this was different the shapes that flew past were not even shapes like they used to be; they were blurs. Oh... that was where his newest nickname had come from... "The Blue Blur." It fit him well, like all of his other nicknames.

A small dinging noise from Nicole made Sally jump, making her look down. "Approaching obstacles." Sally nodded and Sonic bounced up a little bit to adjust her. Carefully, Sally looked over Sonics' shoulder. She pulled her right arm up and cautiously grabbed his right ear. Pulling it forward slowly, Sonic then turned to the right. Sonic avoided several boulders, and it made Sally raise her eyebrows. Feeling a bit curious, Sally pulled forward on Sonics' ear gently, resulting in him turning to the right casually. She did the same with his left ear, and the effect was similar. After a bit of experimenting, Sally felt sure she knew what she was doing.

Several trees were coming up ahead, so Sally slowly began to pull forward on his left ear. He went off the left, passing by the trees harmlessly. She pulled forward on his right ear again, straightening out the path once again. She looked back for just a second, then turned forward again. She had to pull back on his left ear rather hard to avoid another series of trees, but once again fixed the path so they were traveling towards their goal.

After what seemed like hours, Sally found herself unable to do anything else as they had passed any obstacle for at least awhile. She sighed, watching the world pass her by. It was... so unreal. She was here with Sonic again after over two years of not even seeing so much as a glimpse of him. Not only that, but she was being carried by him. That in itself shocked her the most. Of course, he wasn't carrying her like he always used to... oh! Why was she thinking about that of all things?

That had ended... back when... she sighed. She could tell that those feelings she had so long ago for him were still in full force... they had been and she knew they always would be. But she couldn't do anything about it. She just had to smile and tell everyone it was alright, because a princess should never show sadness. She shook her head and just looked over Sonics' shoulder. Now wasn't the time.

A large city was now coming up, and she knew that the next part was going to be a little bit tricky. She sat up straight and as if on cue, Sonic jumped a little so she was just a hint higher up. Within seconds they were in the city, and the lights and cars all around her were so overwhelming that she could barely keep herself oriented. Doing the best she could, Sally began to do her work. She pulled on his right ear and pulled again, doing the action enough times that it eventually led them right to the train station. He flew past the doors, the guards, and several residents, making most of them gasp or fall over in shock of the sudden "gust of wind". The action made Sally giggle to herself.

The directions Sally gave led Sonic up past the train and onto the rail road tracks. Looking down and around, Sally realized suddenly how close they were getting to Tails' house. Grabbing Nicole, she typed in Tails' name and it rang. He picked it up rather quickly, "Hello? Oh Sally, are you guys getting close?"

She nodded, "Yep. I think it'd be a good idea to wait out on the porch for us. See ya soon!"

"See ya!" And Tails was already gone. She put Nicole away and looked forward.

Within minutes they reached the place. Sonic knew the area well and without any type of warning, he jumped off the large bridge he had been running on. Sally yelped, but luckily, Sonic didn't hear it. He just kept on running. Dashing up the stairs, across the small field in front of Tails' house, and finally up another set of stairs one last time, the two walked into the light. He stopped and suddenly realized how tired he was.

Sally slid off his back as Tails ran down from the porch. "You guys are finally here! Man am I glad to see you two!"

Sally smiled as Sonic put his hands on his knees and panted. "I am too." She looked at Sonic, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah... well... I think so. Maybe..."

"You can hear me?" Sally asked.

"Yes... but I can't see a thing and I feel like I just got smacked by Amy's hammer. Oh... I need to lie down..." Sonic sighed, his legs becoming weak.

"Okay," Sally said, putting an arm around Sonics' shoulders. "Tails, can you come help me out?"

"Oh yeah, no problem!" Tails exclaimed, running up and putting an arm around Sonics' waist, giving him proper support to walk up the few porch stairs.

"What time is it?" Sonic asked, sounding quite weak.

"Two thirty-six. You guys have been traveling for quite some time, huh?" Tails asked, his own tails wagging in excitement of finally being able to see these two.

Sally nodded as Sonic asked yet another question, "Sal... why am I so tired? I've been running like that for years and I've been able to carry people like that no problem... ugh, my head..."

"I'm not sure... although I have a hunch it might be because of the medicine. I've never seen what happens when seven doses are taken at once, so I'm guessing that this might be why. Any theories, Tails? I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about, right?"

Tails nodded, "I think so," he said, closing the door behind them by swinging his foot back. "Moss that heals the consumer's body, right?" Sally nodded, "If he really ate seven doses then the answer is simple. His body is exhausted from having to heal himself so fast. Speeding up a body that already goes so fast was probably just a hint tiring. True, Sonic is used to a lot of exercise and does great with such, but even though he heals fast, doing that just probably threw his immune system for a loop."

"Makes sense..." Sally whispered as Sonic looked up.

"Ugh..." Sonic moaned, suddenly becoming limp. Although Sally jumped in surprise, Tails jumped even more.

"Um... I have the feeling that it's a certain hedgehog's bedtime." Sally said.

"Right..." Tails said, looking over. "Well, we can just put him on the couch for right now." The two dragged him over to the couch, putting him down carefully. With his eyes closed and his body not in motion, he looked unusually calm and peaceful. Sally looked at him, not knowing what to say. "I'm going to go grab him a blanket real quick, alright?" Tails asked, making Sally. She nodded and Tails dashed up the stairs.

Sally looked at the hero, a smile growing on her face. He was amazing. Of course, she'd never actually tell him that because then he'd let it get to his head. Shaking her head, she smiled. "Thanks Sonic."

Looking up, Sally saw Tails hovering over Sonic, holding a blanket it his hands. He opened it and spread it out over his body, and smiled. "You can stay in the guest room." He explained, pointing upstairs. Sally smiled at the kindness and joy in his smile, making Tails' smile even larger. Without another word, he flew off back upstairs.

Sally looked at Sonic again, putting a hand out to touch his face. "Goodnight." she whispered, leaning down. "Sweet dreams," she gently kissed his for head, then went upstairs for a well deserved night of rest.


	5. Glad My Best Friend is a Genius

** Chapter 5: Glad My Best Friend is a Genius**

The sun light that hit Sonic's eyes was bright and warm, and it made him stir. After doing so, he found himself uncomfortable and he began to wake up. His eyes slowly opening, he couldn't help but yawn. Although he was awake, he still felt a little tired. Looking around, he found himself in a place that he didn't quite recognize. Salvaging his memories for where he was, he stood up. He remembered running for a long time with Sally and running through a large city... oh! Of course, he was at Tail's house! How could he forget?

He looked up at the wall, surprised with how he could have forgotten something as obvious as being at Tail's house. The clock on the wall read 10:03, making him raise his eyebrows. It was surprising that he had slept in for so late. Usually, he woke at the crack of dawn so he could go running. What was it that had led him to be so tired? Doing his best to wrack his brain for anything, Sonic began to walk around. His senses waking up to the new day, he began to hear several voices.

Walking through a doorway, he found himself in a kitchen with a wonderful smell of cooking pancakes, eggs, and bacon. He inhaled deeply and felt his stomach rumbling. What great timing he had! Smiling, he looked over at Tails. Realizing where he was, Sonic smile suddenly grew. Tails turned when he realized someone was watching him, and when he saw Sonic, he grinned. He jumped out of his chair and dashed to his friend, closing the distance with a tight hug.

The blue hedgehog hugged the boy that he hadn't been able to clearly see or talk to last night. It had been too long since he had seen him. When the hug ended, Tails pulled back with a large grin on his face. Sonic couldn't help but smile as well. Taking a good look at his friend, he was able to see how much he had changed.

Tails had definitely grown in the past few years. He was much taller than the last time he had seen him, and he had thinned out quite a bit. His Tails had also grown out as well, leaving Sonic to wonder how that affected how he flew. He was older and he sure looked like it, but the look in his eyes hadn't changed at all. Instantly, Sonic could tell that his desire to invent and do the things he loved hadn't changed at all. That fact made Sonic smile.

As Tails walked over to the table and continued to eat his breakfast, Sally turned to Sonic. She smiled, "He was asking about you all night."

Tails looked up, looking a little embarrassed. Sonic grinned, "Heh, I bet! If I were you, I would have been worried too!"

Sally smiled at Tails and looked at Sonic, "Are you hungry? The pancakes have only been out for a little bit, and everything is still pretty hot."

"Good, because I'm starving." Sonic said. Sally chuckled to herself and handed Sonic a plate, his grin wide. After putting a pile of three pancakes, a large pile of scrambled eggs, three sausages, and four pieces of bacon, Sonic began eating. All the other two could do was watch him in amazement at the amount of food he had dished up for himself. He grabbed the syrup and soaked the mountain of food, making his eyes light up. After that, he cut himself a large chunk off of the three layers of pancake, licking his lips. The pancake was light and fluffy, and harbored a delightful surprise of creamy chocolate chips. As he continued to eat, Tails stood up.

"I'll be right back," Tails said, walking off to the doorway.

Sonic watched Tails leave, and then looked at Sally. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. But I guess I can now since I finished with all the pancakes." Sally said, grabbing herself a plate. She herself put only two pancakes and a much smaller pile of eggs, as well as one sausage and one piece of bacon. Sitting down, she looked at Sonic.

He had finished all of his food. She raised her eyebrows, and her eyes widened. Before she could comment, Tails walked in with a lap-top, a cord, and a bag. It was quite a pile for Tails to be carrying by himself, but he did it without too much trouble. Carefully, he put them on an empty spot on the table, and then looked at Sonic and Sally. As Sonic wiped his mouth with a napkin, Tails smiled. Sally looked shocked.

"You forgot how fast he ate?"

Sally nodded, "Is it that obvious?"

Sonic chuckled as Tails opened his lap-top. Typing in his password, Sonic sat up and served himself several more pancakes and orange juice he hadn't seen earlier. As he sat down, Tails began to speak.

"We have twenty-eight days until Eggman's plan goes into effect. I presume that you want to find the emeralds, right Sonic?" Sonic nodded as he swallowed a large bite, "Alright than. As you said, we need to find the emeralds faster than ever. We usually take quite a while to find the emeralds, even when we get lucky. Just searching usually doesn't do too much good. Like you asked, I spent the entire time waiting for you guys by coming up with a chaos emerald tracking system."

"It took me a lot longer than I thought, but the results-when I discovered them-work surprisingly well." Tails said, turning his lap-top so they could see the screen. He pulled the object out of the bag, revealing a large yellow jewel. "Remember this, Sonic?"

Sonic grinned, his second plate of food already almost finished, "Wow! I didn't know you still had this!" Sonic exclaimed, taking his hand off his fork and knife for the first time since he started eating.

"Is... that a chaos emerald?" Sally asked.

"No... but it's very similar. Sonic used this several years ago when he was on the ark. It looks like a chaos emerald and it has very similar properties, but it is much weaker than a real chaos emerald! I would know, I made it myself." Tails explained, sounding very proud.

"Right... I remember watching that on Nicole. When you were tricked into being shot to the planet's atmosphere... you escaped from that pod using that?" Sally asked.

"Yeah." Sonic grinned, holding the fake emerald up. "It was the first time I used chaos control, and everyone was so surprised that it was with a fake emerald. Ha, I was pretty awesome with this thing."

Tails nodded, "Yeah... by the way, how could you tell it wasn't the real thing?"

Sonic smiled, "I forgot to mention that Shadow trained me in the chaos arts. Yeah, I forgot to tell you, but I'm betting you figured it out by yourself." Sonic said, "Anyways... the wavelengths of real emerald and the fake one are slightly different."

Tails' eyes grew wide. "You can sense chaos wavelengths now? Sonic, that's amazing!"

Sonic rubbed his nose, a smile on his face, "Yeah, it is."

"How do you-"

"Hey, I know it's cool how Sonic can sense the energy and everything, but we need to continue!" Sally said.

"Oh, right!" Tails exclaimed. "Anyways, like I was saying, the properties of the emeralds are similar. I'm guessing with Sonic's abilities, we _could_ have him find them via chaos energy waves manually, but that would take too long. Instead, I found something very interesting when I was looking at Mobius Live Maps when my lap-top was synched up to the emerald..." he said, typing several commands into the computer.

"You're computer synched up to the emerald?" Sonic asked, raising an eyebrow in the process.

"Yes I know it sounds dorky, but it actually works! Just watch!" Tails exclaimed, "Ah-ha! Here, look!" Pointing to the screen, Tails spoke, "Look at the map!"

Sonic shrugged and leaned it, looking intently at the screen. Sally did the same, and they both examined carefully. On the screen scattered across the continent were seven flashing icons, each of them a different color. Sonic grinned, "You're a genius Tails!"

Tails nodded, "Thank you," Tails said, "But there is one drawback. Carrying around a lap-top like this could get inconvenient. This is why I am glad that you still have Nicole, Sally. May I see her real quick?" Sally handed Nicole to Tails, and he typed in some commands, and handed her back to Sally. "There! Now you'll be able to find the emeralds no problem!"

"Sweet! Thanks a lot Tails!" Sonic said, sitting up out of the chair he had been leaning on.

"No problem you guys!" Tails said, "So, when are you guys going to leave?"

"As soon as possible!" Sonic exclaimed, "But first... do you have any more food? I'm starving!" he asked, walking over to the fridge. He opened the door and Sally raised her eyebrows. Grabbing the milk carton and swishing it around for a second (revealing it to be half full) Sonic turned to Tails. "May I?"

Tails nodded, "Go ahead."

Sonic nodded back and opened the carton, than drank right from it. Sally looked at Tails.

"I remember Sonic eating a lot... but this is ridiculous. He didn't eat this much when he was at Knothole with me." Sally said.

"With how much he runs, it shouldn't be too surprising that he eats that much. With a metabolism like that, he probably has to eat all the time. Plus, he was probably just not eating that much at Knothole so he wouldn't freak you out."

Sally took a good look at him and nodded, "What a weird-o."

Sonic was once again stretching and it made Sally grin. Running... it had always been Sonic's favorite thing to do, and it intrigued Sally. She'd never be able to understand why he loved it so much because she couldn't run like he could. In just a few minutes, they'd be gone yet again, heading toward the first emerald. It was quite exciting in all actuality. Tails was on his lap-top again, typing in some carefully worded instructions as Sally looked at several of the locations of the emeralds. Luckily, they were only spread across two continents this time... and they were continents that were connected too.

"So, you guys almost ready to go?" Tails asked Sally.

"Yeah..." Sally said, looking down at Nicole. "I've just got one question. Are you really okay with not coming along? You haven't been with your best friend in over a year, and I know he missed you. Don't you want to tag along?"

Tails let out a half-hearted "ha" and shook his head. "Sonic wouldn't let me, especially after what happened last time. I'd imagine he hasn't told you yet, which doesn't surprise me. It hurts his pride too much to talk about his mistakes, but I'd assume that you of all people could get the story out of him."

Sally raised her eyebrows, "You won't tell me?"

"Nah, I don't think Sonic would like that. Besides, we don't have time to sit and chat. You two need to be on your way. He can tell you when you're going. Anyways..." Tails stood up, "I sent you guys a schedule that will work most efficiently to the time given. If you follow it, you should have all the chaos emeralds within three weeks. And before you gripe, Sonic, because I know you can hear me, I know that that is a long time." Sonic was now looking at Tails with an almost glare, his arms folded. Sonic growled as Tails continued, "Since Sally is coming along, you two will probably travel a lot slower than if it was me and Sonic, but you will still be able to run, don't worry!"

Sonic walked over, hunching over so he could see on Nicole's screen. "The first emerald is located here in a forest region... in some temple of a sort." Tails said, the screens of both his lap-top and Nicole zoom in on the area.

"Hey... that's around Knothole!" Sally exclaimed, "I wish we would have known about the emerald being there earlier. We traveled all the way here just to find out there was an emerald close to where we were!"

"No sweat Sal! I'll have us back there in no time!" Sonic said, sounding as arrogant as ever. "Just you watch. I wasn't even going full speed last night!"

Sally rolled her eyes, "Sure you weren't," she said, punching him in the shoulder.

"Oh you don't believe me, do you?" he said, his eyebrows high. Turning around, he laughed, "Just climb on my back and I'll show you what I mean!"

Sally chuckled and looked at Tails. "I guess that means it's time to go." She put her arms around Tails and hugged him, "See ya later Tails!"

"See ya Sally!" Tails exclaimed as he hugged her back, "Make sure Sonic doesn't get hurt, okay?"

She giggled, "I'll make sure he'll be careful." Sonic let out a sarcastic "ha" and that made Sally laugh again.

"And Sonic?" Tails asked.

Sonic turned to his friend with a smile, "Don't worry Tails, I'll be okay. When I get back, you and me are going to have our greatest adventures yet! I promise."

Tails nodded, "Yeah..." he whispered looking down. Within three seconds, he had stood up, ran to Sonic, and hugged him once again. "Don't disappear on me again though, okay?"

Sonic hugged his friend, "I won't." the hug ended and Sonic's smile was wide. Tails smiled back, although it was obvious that he didn't want his friend to leave. Sonic nodded one last time and turned to Sally, "Let's go!"

Sally nodded and walked towards him as Sonic crouched down. She climbed up on his back, and he stood up, bouncing once so he had a good grip on her. Sonic turned to Tails and grinned one last time at him before looking forward. "You ready?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Sally said with a confident grin.

Sonic smiled his signature grin and with one step, ran off faster than Sally (or Tails) had ever seen. She screamed for an entire minute.


	6. Enter: The Forest Temple

**Chapter 6: Enter: The Forest Temple**

Although Sonic had run faster than Sally had last seen him when he rescued her from the fire, the speed he had run to reach the forest temple was beyond believable. Even for Sonic, it had felt fast, and that was seriously saying something. Sonic remembered seeing everything he failed to see on the previous trip to Tails' house, including Station Square, several large fields, and Knothole once again, all of which he saw with broad detail. Sally saw blurs. Lots and lots of blurs. When they passed Knothole and finally reached their destination, they both felt totally different.

The sight leaving even Sonic surprised, as he slowed his pace, he couldn't help but gap. What he saw was beyond amazing. "Sally, look!" he exclaimed, pointing up toward the structure.

"Sonic, I've told you time and time again, I can't-"

"Ah Sal," Sonic stopped totally, and Sally paused to shriek for just a second as she slammed forward into his back. "You'll get used to it! Oh, sorry Sal."

As she slid off his back, she rubbed her head, "No, no it's fine, I've just got a headache the size of Hatsune Miku's fan-base." she looked at him as he shrugged and smiled. "You better be right about me getting used to it too, otherwise this is going to be one long trip. Now what was it you were going to show me?"

Sonic pointed up toward a large temple. When she looked at it, she smiled. "Oh right. The temple. I'm guessing this is your first time seeing it?"

"Obviously." Sonic said as the two began to walk forward towards the temple buried in foliage.

"Well, if you've never seen it, that's because the course of action we always took was in the opposite direction of this temple. I'm guessing you always assumed there was nothing over here? I would have done the same if I were you." Sally sighed, looking up at the staircase they had to scale. She looked off to the side and raised her eyebrows. "That's weird… they're writing over here that I can read. I'd think that writing this old would be in some ancient language or something…"

"What does it say?"

Sally hummed then spoke, "Between the leaves and trees you'll see, something you shall someday be. That's weird…"

Sonic nodded, "I guess." He sighed and looked up yet again. He motioned her forward and the two began the ascension up the stairs. "So, the emerald's in here, right?"

"Yeah. I checked on Nicole, and it happens that all the other emeralds are in temples like this one too. I wonder if that's a coincidence, or if somehow this happened on purpose." Sally said.

"How would that happen on purpose?" Sonic asked, an eyebrow raised in response.

"Like I would know." Sally said in a slightly irritated mood, making Sonic chuckle.

Putting his hands behind his head, Sonic let out a triumphant laugh. "Well whatever 'divine design of fate' this was, I have a feeling this is going to be fun!"

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that." Sally sighed yet again, Sonic's smile wide. As she looked up to the top of the stair case, Sonic's gaze also followed. "Looks like we're almost to the top."

"Yeah." Sonic said, a smile growing on his face. "I'll race you!" he exclaimed, dashing off before Sally could protest.

"Sonic!" she exclaimed as she ran after him. "You big turd!" Sonic laughed as he ran up the steps, reaching the top step before Sally had even a chance to run up half of the remaining steps. When he reached the top one, he couldn't help but turn around and look down at Sally. With a grin on his face, he called out to her,

"Come on Sal, you can do it!"

Now only a few steps away, she called out, "Shut up!" Sonic only laughed, and he laughed even harder when she stumbled and tripped on one of the last steps. She struggled to get up and when she finally reached the top, she had the type of expression that told Sonic that he was going to be smacked.

"You are a turd, you know that, right?" Sally asked, looking at him with a slight measure annoyance in her gaze. He shrugged with a grin, and Sally punched him in the arm several times.

"Hey!" Sonic laughed, "I was only kidding Sal!" he said, raising his hands up to block the punches.

Sally looked at him, a playful grin on her face. "I know. You're just a good punching bag." she said, stopping as she looked at the ground. "Sheesh, I shouldn't be this tired. I used to run around all the time!"

The two began to walk forward, looking around carefully at the surroundings. "You haven't been going to bed on time and it has been awhile you've ran around so much. You'll get used to it in no time. And hey, since I'm here, it's almost a promise that you'll be tired. You are currently being over-exposed to pure awesomeness."

Sally raised an eyebrow, "Really, you're purely awesome? Isn't that a Kung Fu Panda reference?" Sonic chuckled as he rubbed his nose, and Sally grinned as she looked forward. "You're a dork." She said, suddenly widening her eyes as she examined the details of their surroundings. "Wow… this place sure is old."

The sight around them although old, was extravagant in the same style. The temple before them looked very similar to the one in the Mystic Ruins, but it was made up of stone that was much more vibrantly colored than the other one, despite looking so old. There were many parts of the structure that stood out because they were so tall, but there were also many platforms that were low and flat. There were many staircases leading off towards other parts of the building, including a large one in front of them that led to what appeared to be the doorway. It was also considerably smaller looking than other temples he had seen, but Sonic had a feeling that the appearance was deceiving.

"Yep," Sonic sighed, looked toward the largest staircase. "I think that's the entrance. Let's go!" Sonic exclaimed, running at a pace slow enough for Sally to keep up with. "If we can get in, I'm guessing there will be a lot of traps or something. So we need to be really caref—" The words from Sonic's mouth were stopped mid-sentence when without a fair warning, the floor beneath them gave way. A trick floor! Although Sonic didn't know how long the fall was, he couldn't help but yelp as he fell.

The walls around them were covered in vines and stones that stuck out by several inches, and in some cases, by several feet. Although Sonic didn't realize it, Sally did. Her animal instincts kicking in, she reached out to one of the vines and although it burned her hand, held on tight. She stopped after falling for a few more feet, making her gasp at the sudden sense of action that had flown at them.

After a few more seconds, Sonic landed on the floor. Although it had been a long fall, he wasn't seriously injured, but it sure sounded like he had been. He just let out a loud "Oof!" And Sally winced as she looked down at him, as he had landed right on his face. She was almost afraid to ask if he was okay because she heard a loud pound when he collided with the floor.

Gritting her teeth, Sally called out, "Are you okay?"

Sonic got up onto his knees and shook his head for a second. "Yeah, I'm fine." He stood up, looking around. "Sal, where are you?" he looked up, his eyes becoming wide. He whistled, "Wow," Sonic laughed, "Are you going to come down?"

Sally looked down and around, chuckling in a nervous way, "Yeah, I'm coming. Eventually…" Sally said, making her way down the vine in a slow and cautious fashion. Sonic laughed at the nervousness she was showing, making Sally growl. "You are going to make me fall."

"Come on Sal, you're not going to fall! You're a squirrel after all, right?" he stopped when he received a glare that made his heart stop for an entire second. "Right. Chipmunk-squirrel hybrid, you are a chipmunk-squirrel hybrid. Sheesh, you don't need to glare at me just because I didn't get it perfect!"

Only having a few feet remaining before she reached the floor, Sally let go of the vine and dropped to the floor, landing with no trouble. She looked at Sonic with a smile and Sonic smiled back, and then looked around at what the two were standing in. The room was about twenty five feet long and twenty five wide, but that wasn't the most amazing factor. Height-wise, the room had to be at least fifty feet tall. As they looked up, Sally whistled.

"How did that fall not hurt?" Sally asked as she slowly walked around the room.

He shrugged, "I've fallen from higher." Sonic said, receiving a strange look from Sally. He didn't comment, but rather, continued to look around. There were torches attached to the walls and being lit up by them were pictures. They looked ancient, as the walls were cracked and covered in vines, and the colors were faded. As his eyes scanned the walls, his eyes met an interesting picture. In it, there were several creatures fighting off a giant mosquito, in which the mosquito was impaling several of the animals. Sonic slowly put his hand to were one of the animals was being stabbed, cringing at such a thought. If the picture had really been based off of real events, then Sonic was glad he wasn't there to see it.

Feeling a little fed up with the grotesque image, Sonic turned and looked toward the wall he had been facing earlier. A long hallway was stretched before him, making him grin. "Hey Sal, check it out," he said, turning to see her staring at the picture of the mosquito impaling the animals.

"Ew…" Sally whispered with an expression of disgust and fear.

"Yeah I know," Sonic said, grabbing her wrist and turning her to the hallway, "Look." He said, pointing his finger down the long hallway. "That's where we need to go, right?" Sally nodded after looking at Nicole and Sonic nodded back. The hallway was long and dark, and it gave Sonic a sense of excited adventure. He looked at Sally, "Do you want me to run? Or do you want to walk?"

Sally bit her lip, "Hm… why don't we start with a walk? We could wait until there's a little more light. Maybe until we find some hallways with torches?"

Sonic shrugged, "Sounds fair enough." Sally nodded and they both began to walk forward into the dark. "Just as long as I get to run later."

The hallway's floor was quite uneven and as they walked they found themselves stumbling several times. Although there was some light behind them, most of it was being drowned out by the length of the hall. The farther they progressed, the less light accompanied them. After awhile, Sonic started running his left hand against the wall, and his right hand in front of him to make sure they weren't going to turn or crash into a wall.

"Sonic, what are we going to do when we get all the emeralds?" Sally asked, breaking the silence in half.

Sonic grinned, "Same thing I always do," Sonic said, "Go super and do my best. Usually it works no problem."

Sally nodded, "Alright, but how will you defeat Eggman? That robot was huge."

"I usually worry about that later." Sonic told her, "Usually works without too many issues."

"Okay, sounds like your type of plan. My only question is of—" Sonic suddenly yelped, and a thud echoed throughout the hallway. "Did you just fall?" Sally asked, sounding only half worried or surprised.

"Yeah," Sonic said, "Which is why I'm going to turn on a light." Before Sally could ask how, Sonic spoke, "Chaos ignite!"

As soon as the hallway was light, Sally let out a blood-curdling scream. When Sonic saw what it was that he had tripped over, he himself nearly screamed as well. Before them laid the body of a dead animal, a cat perhaps, its eyes wide opened. It was covered in blood that decorated the walls and floor in the ugliest way possible, and the sight of it made Sonic queasy. The scariest aspect was the fact that the thing that had killed it was sticking out of its chest.

It was just like the picture seen earlier portrayed. A giant mosquito—now as dead as the cat it had killed—was sticking straight out of his chest, covered in the deadly crimson color just like color that covered the room. It was disgusting to say the least.

Sonic looked at Sally, her expression was of pure horror. Without another word, he grabbed her hand and ran down the hallway. She had no chance to gasp, and she couldn't have if she had wanted to. She was in so much shock that she couldn't even pay attention to the fact that Sonic was speeding down the hallway, which had started slanting downward. The light followed them and shined bright enough for Sonic to avoid any further obstacles.

After what seemed like forever, the hallway finally opened up to a large room. Sonic slowed when he saw the room coming up, and by the time he reached it, he had come to a complete stop. What he saw was beyond amazing.

The room was so large that a good sized building could have fit into it. If it wasn't for all of the plants throughout the room, there was no doubt such a thing could have been placed in it. A quiet buzzing filled the area that Sonic couldn't quite put a finger one. Looking at Sally, he raised his eyebrows. "Are you doing okay?"

Sally nodded and looked ahead. "Yeah, it just freaked me out. We should get going."

Sonic smiled, "Then let's go!" he told her, grabbing her wrist and running off without another word. They flew past the structures in the room, going fast enough that any possible threat only saw them with confusion and question. The wind that followed would have only increased that confusion, along with the yells that escaped from Sally's mouth.

"Oh come on Sal, it can't be that scary anymore!" Sonic said, glancing back at her for a second. They had already left the room and had started to head down another hallway, this one much lighter because of the chaos energy light that was following them.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Was her response. Sonic simply shrugged it off and looked forward again. Suddenly, he realized what Sally had been screaming about. His eyes wide at a wall that was quickly growing larger, Sonic skidded to a stop, holding onto Sally's wrist so tight that she yelped in such a high pitch when he stopped that Sonic cringed. She screeched for a few seconds as she flew forward.

After what seemed like a life-time, Sonic and Sally were at a complete stop. Both of Sally's feet were on the ground again, and she looked a little shaken up, but otherwise she looked okay.

"Sorry Sal." Sonic told her as he looked around in the small room they were in now. Looking around, he noticed the room was once again like the last one very tall. It was smaller than the room he had landed in face first, but it was still rather large. As he walked, Sally began to rub her wrist.

"Eh, it's okay… you just wanted to run." Sally sighed, looking up at the same time. "Although there is something I needed to tell you. I think that we're in some sort of a," she looked at Sonic for a second and he looked at her. Both of their ears suddenly started to twitch. "Do you hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Sonic asked, taking a step forward.

"Sh!" she exclaimed, making Sonic raise his eyebrows. "Do you hear that?" she asked, making Sonic look around with an expression filled with eagerness. "There's that buzzing again…" she whispered.

"Yeah…" Sonic whispered, taking another step forward. Before he could speak, he felt the ground beneath him lower just a bit. He looked down with surprise in his expression, jumping back to look at what had happened. The tile he had stepped on must have activated something, and as soon as the thought occurred to him a large rumbling appeared from the direction of the door. When they looked up, they saw the rusty gate-like door fall to the ground, crashing down with a thud. Sonic raised his eyebrows. "Hm. That's interesting." He said, sounding only half surprised.

Sally sighed as she looked up. Once again, rock and vines decorated the walls and hung from the ceiling. There was only one way to go. She sighed once again, "I don't get paid enough for this," she said, crouching down. She bounded up and grabbed onto the vine she had been aiming at. As her animal instincts kicked in, Sonic found himself watching Sally scale the walls. He smiled with sarcasm in mind.

"You don't get paid at all!" Sonic exclaimed after Sally had taken yet another jump.

"Exactly!" she yelled back, making Sonic chuckle. She joked around a lot more than she used to, and Sonic had taken a liking to the habit. It sure made talking to her more enjoyable.

Before long, she had reached the top. She looked up and nodded, "Sonic, the wall doesn't touch the ceiling! There are big gaps before it even comes close!" she called down to him.

"How big are they?" he asked.

"About ten feet!" she said, looking down over the wall. "I'm going to come down, okay? I think I see a switch down there!"

"Okay! Just be careful!"

Sally chuckled to herself as she carefully switched to the other side of the wall, saying in a voice just loud enough for him to hear, "You're telling me to be careful? Ha…"

After Sally was on the other side, Sonic became oblivious as to what Sally was doing. All he had to rely on was the sounds, but besides the sounds of a few pebbles occasionally falling from crevices in the walls, there was nothing. In the mean time Sonic had to sit there. Once again, he began to look around. This time, he looked to make sure that there were no more booby traps. He saw no holes in the wall, suspicious tiles, or anything that seemed like it could explode… so Sonic was sure that the door was the only trap. He nodded to himself and continued the wait.

A few minutes had passed when his ears began to twitch yet again, and he looked up when he was sure it was the buzzing yet again. It stopped after a few seconds, but he couldn't help but wonder what it was. He was hoping that it wasn't what he thought it was, but he shook off the thought. Perhaps he was just…

Sally's surprised yelping made Sonic jump, and without a moment's hesitation he dashed to the door. He couldn't see where he was, and that scared him slightly. When he heard the buzzing yet again, Sonic's heart nearly skipped a beat. Instantly, he ran to the gate and did his best to look through the bars and see Sally. Although he couldn't see her, he did hear several loud smacks and a sound that made him jump. The sight that accompanied it was surprising, so much in fact that it made his eyes widen. A squishing sound reached his ears, and something splattered past him. Before he could ask, the door finally rose.

He walked out as fast as he could, and when he saw Sally, he only raised his eyebrows. She was panting and holding something sharp—it looked almost like a crudely built sword—and she was covered in a deathly red. It wasn't hers, but it still made Sonic gap. Next to her were several more dead mosquitoes, all of which were very large. Not knowing what else to do, Sonic swallowed.

"Uh…" he paused and looked her in the eye. "Did you do that?"

She nodded and dropped the object. "I don't do well with bugs." She said, walking over by him. He looked at her from head to toe once again, smiling slightly.

"I'm guessing you just want to go?" Sonic asked her. She nodded and without another second, he grabbed her hand and ran off. Unlike last time, she didn't scream again, but rather let him run. Within seconds, something very similar to what had just happened occurred once again.

Once again, they had entered a large room. The door closed behind them, and Sonic stopped. When Sally found herself on the ground, she began to look around with annoyance in her gaze. "Again?" she yelled, turning to Sonic. "I'm not doing that again by myself."

Sonic shrugged, "Whatever you say." Sally nodded again and looked up, crouching down to gain power in her jump. She leapt again, grabbing onto a vine with ease. Ascending with ease, she looked down at Sonic.

"You too!" she ordered, "I know you can climb!" Sonic let out a simple 'ha' and followed Sally's example. He jumped up and grabbing onto several vines, occasionally jumping to another vine to get better footing or a better grip.

As they climbed, Sonic spoke up, "Hey, you were trying to tell me something earlier about this place, right?"

She nodded, now almost to the top, "Yeah. And if I'm right," she paused as she sat up on the top of wall, sighing as she looked across. Soon Sonic reached the top as well. He gazed upon what seemed to be a labyrinth, Sally's expression now that of tire. "We're in a maze."

Sonic nodded to her comment once again, "If we keep on running around and getting caught, it's going to take too long to reach the emerald. Do you see that light past all the walls?" Sally nodded as she took Nicole out of her pocket.

"That's where the emerald is." Sally told him.

"Okay than…" Sonic said as he stood up on the wall. "I say we jump across. There are enough vines to grab onto, and I know you're strong enough to do it."

Sally stood up as well, looking down at herself. "I'd usually try and fight against you, but jumping sure sounds better than having to fight more mosquitoes. Besides, I'm already as blood covered as I want to get today." She paused and looked at Sonic. "Why did you say I'm strong enough instead of we're strong enough?"

Sonic shrugged, "Don't know. Spur of the moment?" He looked ahead at the other wall and then back at Sally, a sarcastic grin on his face. "Ladies first."

Sally rolled her eyes, "Such a gentleman." She took a short step back and bent down again, gritting her teeth together. She bounded off and reached the other wall, grabbing onto a vine with ease. Looking back, she called out, "Your turn!"

Sonic smiled, "With pleasure!" Acting as if it was as simple as tying his shoe, Sonic jumped up in the air and dashed forward, landing on the other wall without even having to climb up. He looked over the edge with a grin, "How was that?"

"What a shameless show-off." Sally whispered, Sonic chuckling at her comment. After a few seconds of waiting, Sally reached the top and was looking at what laid before them.

"One down, a million and four to go." Sonic sighed, looking back at Sally. "You up for it?"

Sally grinned, "Why wouldn't I?" And they were off.

It took much longer than expected, but after several long stretched out minutes, they had made it all the way across. The descent from the wall took only a few seconds and when they had reached the floor, they found themselves staring into another hall. This one was much brighter than the others however, and the chaos light finally ignited (as Sonic had let it die down). Although they felt a little tired, they continued down the hall.

The light that poured in was from the sun, as it had a warmness to it that instantly lifted their spirits. Sally glanced at Nicole once again and looked up again with a large grin. "We're almost there!" she exclaimed, making Sonic smile.

"Well let's go then!" he smiled, running forward at a pace she could keep up with. The hall had a slow slant upwards and it led into perhaps the most beautiful room of them all. It was circular and light poured in from a large opening in the center. The walls were decorated with vibrant color and paintings, this time, all joyful. Beyond the center of the room was a staircase that led up the emerald—the green emerald—shining in a glorious fashion. Sonic and Sally smiled and glanced at each other, then continued their walk forward.

"I can't believe we made it," Sally said, looking down at herself. "I look horrible. As soon as we get back I'm taking a long bath."

Sonic laughed, "Ha, you said it. I'm just curious about something."

"And what's that?" she asked as the two crossed the center of the room.

"Where all those mosquitoes came from. If they are giants ones, then there has to be a mother. If those are the babies, I'm just glad we didn't run into—" Sonic stopped mid-sentence, stopping in his tracks when he heard the crashing of something he recognized. A door had just slammed to a close. Sally too had stopped, and she looked as if she was ready to scream. Slowly, the two turned. What they saw sent chills down Sally's spine, but made Sonic grin.

"The mother."


	7. This is Really Bugging Me

**Chapter 7: This is Really Bugging Me**

Before them on the wall was the largest mosquito either of them had ever seen. It had to be at least ten feet tall, and the menacing look in its eyes sure didn't seem to bring any comfort to either of them. Sonic grinned and Sally gaped.

Sonic was about to say something when the mosquito flew off the wall and dove towards them. Without even thinking, Sonic dashed forward and grabbed Sally, moving fast enough that the mosquito hadn't come close to touching them. Holding her close, he watched as the mosquito flew towards the emerald.

"Oh no you don't!" Sonic exclaimed, running forward. He bounded up towards the creature with determination in his expression when something pulled him back. Buzzing yet again filled his ears and Sonic growled. "Oh so that's how you're going to play?" Two mosquitoes had grabbed him by the arms. How predictable!

"Sonic! The mosquito has the—oh great, it just swallowed the emerald!" Sally exclaimed as she ran after Sonic.

"Of course it swallowed the emerald; they always swallow the stupid emerald!" Sonic yelled, now flailing his arms wildly in an attempt to get the bugs to drop him. After a few seconds, one of the mosquitoes let go. Sonic took the opportunity and with his free hand, grabbed the tube used for sucking blood. With one strong tear it ripped off and the creature let go of Sonic, the pain too much for it to handle. Sonic landed on his feet, Sally now by his side.

"I see you took off its proboscis." Sally said, their gaze now returned to the mother.

"What? Oh, that's what this is called." He said, throwing it to the side. When it hit the floor, the mother bug's head suddenly looked up at Sonic. It almost looked angry and suddenly, it dove at them again. "Look out!" Sonic exclaimed, running off to the left as Sally dove to the right. As soon as they looked up at the bug again, Sonic realized how angry it really must have been.

"Sonic if you keep on killing its babies it's going to keep on attacking!" Sally yelled as she looked up, her eyes wide. She dove just in time to avoid the bugs attack, as it had tried to stab her with its proboscis. An idea was born at that second in Sonic's mind.

"Great idea Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, looking around. Like he had anticipated, the baby bugs had come swarming at the sound of their mother's distress. One that was particularly close had the misfortune of the tube being ripped off his face by Sonic, and all Sally could do as she ran was gap. "Hey mama bug, I seemed to have hurt junior over here!" Sonic yelled, the bug looking angrier by the second. Once again, it dove for Sonic.

"What are you crazy!" Sally yelled, a swarm of the mosquitoes now swarming above her head. They each took their turn attacking her, making Sally perform a series of dodging techniques.

"Not quite!" Sonic yelled, running over towards her. He jumped up a bit and grabbed another bug and threw it with all of his might at the wall. It collapsed on the ground, apparently dead. "If one of us can distract it long enough for the other to tear off the tube, we may be able to kill it!"

"And how do we do that?" she yelled back, jumping back to avoid a potentially fatal attack from a rather large mosquito. As it hovered back, Sally stepped forward and punched it, sending it reeling backwards. It crashed into another one, and the mother once again tried to dive. Sonic avoided the attack and ran over to Sally.

He grabbed her wrist and dashed off, the small swarm chasing after them. With less than enough time to explain, Sonic looked at her. "No time to explain! Just get up to where the emerald was and kill as many of those babies as you can! Make sure to get the mother's attention!"

Sally didn't ask any questions but rather ran off in the direction she had been instructed to travel in. Sonic looked up at the mother bug as it seemed to glare down at him, making him grin. He laughed, "Aren't you looking ugly today?"

As if the bug had heard and understood him, it dove down for him in an attempt to stab him, but Sonic easily dodged the attack. "Ha, was that the best you can do! That's just sad." It tried the same maneuver once again but Sonic avoided the attack once again. "My grandmother could go faster than you!" he yelled, the bug's wings buzzing at such a fast rate that the buzzing was making Sonic's ears twitch.

Before it could try the maneuver again, something struck it in the head. It looked around confusedly for a second, but upon seeing what had been thrown, the bug showed the fury it had been displaying once again.

"Hey!" Sally called out, the bug turning to her with incredible speed. Sally was holding a dead mosquito baby once again, shaking it as the mother looked at her with undeniable loathing. "This thing stinks! Take it, I don't want it!" She yelled, throwing the bug corpse at the mother. It hit the creature in the head again, and its fury increased—if it was even possible at that point. It flew towards Sally again, and a panicked expression took over Sally.

Sonic ran off in the direction that the bug headed in, dashing up the stairs faster than the bug. Just before it could stab Sally, Sonic slid under its belly and with an impossibly strong kick, sent the creature flying onto its back. He didn't stay to explain, as Sally herself was busy defending herself from the smaller creatures.

He jumped on top of the creature, as it was too disoriented at the moment to get up. Stomping on the head just below where the proboscis was attached, Sonic looked down at the creature, determination in his gaze. He grabbed onto the mother's proboscis and gritted his teeth. Using as much energy that he could muster in his body, he pulled. The tube was separated from the bug, and instantly afterwards, a loud shriek—almost like a scream—filled the air. Sonic cringed and was suddenly thrown off the bug.

It squirmed and squealed in pain as Sonic flew back. The bugs were now charging at Sonic, and Sally had to avoid the bugs at an even faster rate as they attacked her with ferocity that they had not being showing the second before. There wasn't a second to lose!

Sonic landed on his feet and as soon as he had obtained balance he flew off, still holding the sharp proboscis in his hand. He ran so fast that the bugs following him were thrown back from the wind, and when he reached the wall, he smiled. Instead of crashing into it, he changed his direction and suddenly, he was running up the wall. He sped up the wall and within seconds he found himself running onto the ceiling. He looked down at the bug—chaos surrounding the creature—as it still squirmed in pain. Taking a deep breath in, he closed his eyes and yelled, "Chaos control!"

The world around him slowed, and he slowed his pace as well. His feet left the ceiling and he fell. All eyes were on him as he fell, the proboscis in hand, now upright as he fell downward. He came down on the beast with the proboscis and as he yelled, stabbed it into the stomach as hard as he could. The creature was instantly beat.

Its stomach burst in a gory display of what it had devoured, and Sonic flew back onto the ground. The baby creatures screamed as if they were in excruciating pain and suddenly, they all flew off. The battle field was suddenly peaceful.

Sally ran down the steps towards Sonic, who was now just as blood covered as Sally was. He sat up and looked down at himself. Not only did he look repulsive, but he absolutely smelled horrible. He threw the tube to the side as Sally reached him.

"Sonic that was amazing! Except for when the thing exploded, that was pretty gross, but besides that, you did great!" She exclaimed, stretching her hand out to him. He grabbed it and she helped pull him up.

He smiled, "I was awesome, wasn't I?" he asked, looking around with a smile. His eyes lit up when he spotted the emerald. He walked forward toward it and bent down to grab it. "You sure were a lot of trouble. I sure hope that it will be worth it in the end." Sonic said as he wrapped his fingers around the jewel. As soon as he had stood up with a tight grasp around the emerald, everything surrounding him changed.

It surprised him so much that he nearly fell over, but what he saw stopped him from doing so. Before him stood something that surprised him beyond measure, as he saw that he was looking at himself—but he seemed older. The blue hedgehog before him was as tall as Sonic was and he looked exactly like him except for an unusual aura about him. He had the same emerald green eyes, the same chest fur, and many of the other traits. Sonic wouldn't have believed what he was seeing if it didn't look so realistic. The older him smiled at himself—if that even made any sense—and looked around.

"I was wondering when this would occur." The older Sonic said, a gentle smile on his face.

Sonic looked around seeing if there was someone behind him when the older Sonic laughed, "I'm talking to you!" he exclaimed, making Sonic turn back. Sonic pointed to himself, nothing but confusion filling his mind and soul. The older Sonic nodded, and Sonic simply raised his eyebrows. What the heck was going on? The older Sonic just smiled and shook his head, "I remember being so confused at that time." He said, no hint of being even slightly worried in his expression.

"What time? What are you talking about, why am I looking at me!" Sonic exclaimed.

Before the older Sonic could respond, a woman's voice reached their ears. "Sonic, where are you dear?" Sonic turned to see—to his surprise—Sally. Like the other Sonic, she too was older. "Ah, there you are! Oh, and it's you too!" she exclaimed, walking over. She was shorter than both of the Sonics, but she looked older than the regular Sonic. She wore the usual blue vest and boots that she always had on, but something seemed a little different about her. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but there was definitely something off about Sally.

The older Sonic put his arm around the older Sally, smiling at her for a second before looking at Sonic again. "I'm lucky to have her." The older Sonic told him, looking at him for just a second. "Be good to her, alright?" he told Sonic, making him raise his eyebrows.

Once again, Sonic was about to speak when several voices came from the same direction the older Sally had come from. Suddenly, two small children ran past him, running towards the older Sonic and Sally. They grabbed onto the two, yelling out, "Mommy, daddy!"

Sonic raised his eyebrows as he looked up and down at what all stood before him. An older version of him, an older version of Sally, and two children were all standing there, looking at him with smiles on his faces. He was beyond what he could call confusion.

The older of the two looked at the younger Sonic—she resembled Sally except for her green eyes—and spoke, "Is he the visitor you were telling us about, daddy?" She asked.

The older Sonic nodded, "Yes," he said simply, peace in his tone.

The boy who looked like his father—excluding the blue eyes—looked at him carefully as he held onto his mother, "He looks just like you!" he exclaimed, his voice revealing that he had to be only about two or three.

"Why is he here?" The girl asked again, looking up at her father once again.

The older Sonic smiled and looked at Sonic, the gaze striking Sonic right in the heart. "He just needs to see us for a second. He'll need to be going soon."

Sonic raised his eyebrows, wondering what he was talking about. As if he had read his mind, the older Sonic walked forward and put his hands on Sonic's shoulders. "Just remember, Sonic that she will always be there for you. You need to always be there for her. Protect her no matter what." Although the entire visit had been filled with confusion, what he was saying to Sonic at that exact moment made perfect sense. All he could do was nod in response, and the older Sonic smiled. "Good,"

Sonic nodded, then looked down, "I have a question though." Sonic asked, making the older Sonic grin yet again. "What am I doing here? I was just in a temple fighting a giant bug. Why-?"

"Don't you remember the warning in front of the temple? Let me see if I remember… between the trees and leaves you'll see,"

"Something you shall someday be." Sonic said looking at the older Sonic with wide eyes. All he could do was look at him with surprise filling his heart. He didn't blink for a few seconds and that just made the other Sonic smile. "Wait, how did…" he paused and blinked, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself on the ground, looking at the ceiling he had been running on several minutes earlier.

After a few seconds of staring, he realized that he was being shaken. He looked over to see Sally who was now looking at him, gaping with an expression of pure surprise. For a few seconds he didn't know what to do, but it soon occurred to him that it sitting up was a good idea. When he did, he found himself feeling oddly weak. Luckily, Sally helped him up.

It was silent for a second as Sonic looked around, then looked at Sally. Concern was in her expression, and she spoke, "Are you okay?"

He nodded, a little disoriented from what had just happened. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You just collapsed and you were out for a few minutes. Any sane person would ask you the same." Sally told him.

"Yeah…" Sonic whispered, looking at her carefully. She hadn't seen what he had, which meant she had no idea of what the other Sonic had told him or what he had seen. Quietly, he pondered on what he had been told. Had she really been there for him the whole time while they had been separated? Did he want to protect her like he had been advised? When he felt his heartbeat speeding up, he knew the answer to the question. He made his decision, his cheeks suddenly flushing red. Sally raised her eyebrows, but Sonic stood up before she could speak.

"Let's get going, okay?" Sonic asked as Sally stood up, looking around one last time at what the room held before they would leave. She nodded and Sonic grabbed her by the wrist once again. The emerald still in his hand, Sonic lifted it above his head, "Chaos control!"

Within the second, they found themselves in front of the temple once again. The sun's light was fading to that of a red glow, and the surrounding area seemed unusually peaceful. Sonic looked around and back at Sally, a smile on his face. "We did it."

Sally grinned back at him and nodded, "Yeah," then looked down at her feet. An expression of surprise and confusion took over as she looked at Sonic, then back at her feet. Sonic raised an eyebrow, and Sally looked back at him, "Weren't we covered in mosquito blood?"

Sonic shrugged, "I left it behind when we warped out of there."

Sally raised her eyebrows, "You could take that off?" Sonic simply nodded, "Why didn't you do that earlier! I was covered in that stuff for who knows how long, and you just decide to take it off right now!" Sonic simply shrugged again.

"I guess it never occurred to me." Sonic sighed.

Sally sighed and nodded, "I guess not." Looking off in the direction that Knothole was in, Sally yawned. "I'm getting hungry. Let's head back, okay?"

"Ha, you said it." Sonic replied, a smile on his face as the two began to walk off. "I'm starving."

Sally nodded and laughed to herself, "I bet you are you big dork." She said, punching him softly in the arm, Sonic chuckling to himself as they continued to walk. "One down, six to go…"

Sonic nodded, "Yeah. And that was fun, wasn't it? If that's just the first emerald, I can't wait to see what the rest of our adventure is going to be like!" he said, pounding his fist into his other hand with an eager and excited face.

Sally simply nodded, looking forward to Knothole once again. Deep down, she knew that the adventure was definitely going to be a fun one, especially since she was going to spend it with her favorite blue hedgehog.


	8. Heartbeat

** Chapter 8: Heartbeat**

After Sonic and Sally had returned to Knothole and eaten some food, the two laid down in their beds and fell asleep. Needless to say, they were exhausted. The adventure had been quite energetic, and although they were adventurous people, they felt more tired than they had been in years. Sally didn't quite know why she was tired, as she had several crazy times in the past few years that kept her on her toes. Despite such, she had fallen asleep within several minutes of lying down in her bed. Sonic on the other hand knew exactly why he was so exhausted.

He hadn't told any of what he had seen to Sally. He had no idea how she'd react if he would have told her, and he didn't want to risk having their already great friendship transformed into a series of awkward conversations and glances. No, he was okay with what there was now… or was he? Sonic didn't know when he went to bed, for he had been too tired to think. When he woke up he knew the answer.

Although his eyes were opened and his mind awakened, Sonic felt as if his entire body was still asleep. He knew that what he seen had made him tired, but he didn't expect to be this tired. It felt as if his limbs were jelly, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find himself able to get up. After several minutes of failed attempts, Sonic finally gave up. If he knew where Shadow was, he would have asked him why that event had left him so tired—as he was sure what he saw was because of chaos energy—but since he didn't, he was just going to have to wait until he was a little more lively.

Quietly as he thought, he looked up at the ceiling. He had to admit it to himself… he still liked Sally. This had been no surprise to him when he realized such, but for some reason, he couldn't get that word out of his mind. Simply liking her didn't seem to sound right. It was if there was something wrong with that sentence. Something… something… but what? Something was pulling him back to her smile every time he closed his eyes. It wasn't possible that he… no, he wasn't even going to think about it. Even if he still felt that way for her, there was no way she felt like that towards him.

Somehow—although he didn't notice it because he was so deep in thought—Sonic rolled onto his side and put his hands on his head. What was wrong with him? He had been with her for nine days after two years and it was like nothing had changed. Even after that slap that had made him leave, he still found it hard not to look at her and still feel what there had been two years ago. It wasn't possible… it shouldn't have happened… but it was. Sonic was falling in love with Sally. Or was he still in love with her? Falling in love with her again? Frustration and confusion filling him, Sonic pulled his pillow over his head.

No. Sonic loved running and adventure. To love another would only result in hurt and heartache. He knew this as a fact, for he had lived through it. Running never left him with a broken heart or a sore cheek. It made him feel free! If he could run like the wind, then he'd never be caught. He'd be free forever, never having to worry about hurting others feelings or being hurt. That was the kind of life he had always lived, so why change now?

Sonic sighed and looked up. He needed to get going. There was twenty seven days left. Sure, that was a long time to Sonic, but he knew that since Sally was coming, it was going to take awhile to get there. Finding a bit of strength within himself, Sonic sat up, kicking the blankets off his body at the same time. At that moment he felt very confused and self conflicted. He wanted to protect Sally but stay away from her in the sense of love, and still stay her best friend. At one point he wanted to say that he did care for her and let it just be over with and easier, but he was feeling a little too hard-headed at the moment to compromise. Sighing, he put one hand on his head. Sometimes, being a teenager was just too much for the blue hedgehog.

He looked at the ground next to his bed. His sneakers sat next to the bed, leaving a small grin on his face. Quietly, he leaned over and grabbed them. If there was anything he loved more than running, it was the sneakers he ran in. He'd always grow a bit attached to the shoes he wore, and the sneakers that he had now were no exception.

Before he put them on, Sonic conjured up a new pair of socks via chaos energy and put them on. He made the other pair disappear, then grabbed his left shoe and put it on as well. He repeated the process with his right foot afterwards and stood up. Sonic yawned and stretched as he looked around. It was time to go find Sal so they could head out. Nodding to himself, Sonic took one step forward and suddenly found himself on the floor. His leg had given way.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Sonic exclaimed, looking around the room. He reached his hand up to the bed and tried his hardest to grab onto the side. There was no way he was so weak that he couldn't even grab onto the side of the bed and pull himself up. Unfortunately for Sonic, he found out that he really was that weak. Great. Gritting his teeth together, the hedgehog looked around. He knew that the chaos emerald was still in here. If he could just get it, then he'd for sure be able to leave. How was he going to grab it?

"Oh duh," Sonic said, calling out, "Chaos control!" The emerald flashed a bright green and found its way into his hand. Sonic took in a deep breath and looked around. There was one way to get out of there, and Sonic knew that leaving sounded like quite a good idea.

He lifted his arm up as high as it could go and cried out, "Chaos control!"

Before he knew it, Sonic had found himself on the grass. Unfortunately, he was still on his stomach and there was nothing around that he could grab onto to get up. Sonic sighed. Perhaps he could just wait until Sally found him. However, there was the possibility that she was still asleep. If she was… then it was probably going to be a few hours before he'd get up.

Sonic sighed, looking up as far as his body would allow. What was with this adventure and not letting him actually stand up? It was beginning to drive him crazy. Frustration over taking him for the last time, he yelled out, "AGH!" Not being able to do anything else, Sonic sighed and laid his head down. This was just getting annoying.

"Sonic," Sally's voice called out, making Sonic jump in surprise. "You don't have to yell."

"Sal, where are you?" Sonic exclaimed, trying his best to look at her.

She was silent for a second, "Um, I'm up in a tree. Just getting rid of some dead branches, why do you ask?"

Sonic sighed and looked back at the ground. "Help."

Silence followed for several seconds until Sally saw him. She laughed, making Sonic growl. "Can't get up, old man?" He gritted his teeth as Sally jumped down from the tree and walked over to him. She was quiet as she looked at him, but spoke after a few seconds. "So… you still don't feel too good?" she asked as she crouched down and put her arms around him.

Sonic sighed, "If I say that I don't feel good, I have the terrible feeling you'll put me back in the wheelchair." He said as Sally helped him to his feet, supporting most of his body weight.

"You know, I wasn't thinking about doing that, but now that you mention it…" she said with a malevolent smile.

"Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, making Sally laugh once again.

"I'm just teasing you Sonic! Sheesh, and I thought you liked that wheelchair…" she sighed, walking forward at a slow pace.

Sonic sighed, "It was okay for awhile… but I'm more of a running guy."

"I know that. Unfortunately, it looks like running guy is going to have to stay in bed for a few days." Sally sighed.

Sonic moaned and looked up at the sky (now that he actually could). "I was afraid of that."

Sally just smiled as she continued to walk, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

He simply raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously, "Then I guess I'll be okay. You _are_ hot enough to be a nurse…" Sally punched Sonic in the gut and kept walking. Sonic just laughed.

* * *

><p>Sonic had hated having a broken leg, but having no energy whatsoever was even worse. Not only could he not walk around, but he could barely even sit up or stay awake. He dis-liked being so useless; but honestly, there was nothing he could do about it. He did his best not to complain.<p>

During his down-time, Sally had continued cleaning up dead branches and ash that had littered Knothole. Sonic had been able to watch every once in awhile (when Sally helped find him a comfortable spot to sit in), but he felt bad because she was doing everything by herself. She had no idea of how much he wanted to help. Some of the things she had tried to move simply wouldn't budge, and watching her struggle hadn't helped his annoyed position one bit. He hated the fact that he couldn't help.

Despite all this, he watched without talking much. Luckily for him, he was able to recover quickly (although it felt like forever to the impatient hedgehog.) When he found that he was able to stand without having the disappointment of falling, he did all that he could to help Sally. At first he could only pick up small branches and help gather ash, but by the end of the second day, Sonic was cleaning up the huge branches that Sally had been unable to pick up. He even picked up the very branch that had broken his leg earlier, which surprised Sally because it was so heavy.

They had been there for two extra days and when the waiting was finished they were more than eager to leave. Sonic in particular was quite excited for the next temple they were going to visit, despite not knowing what was ahead.

It had been several hours since they had woken up, and they were about ready to leave. Sally was still cleaning up a little bit (although she truthfully wasn't making much progress) and Sonic was helping. Most of the ash had blown away in the wind earlier and they had cleaned up the remaining ash, and now all that remained were the largest branches.

Sonic was finishing his fourteenth piece of toast while Sally was finishing her third. She had tried not to watch him eat but she couldn't help it. He was just there… eating!

As he took the last bite, Sally shook her head. "How on Mobius do you eat so much?"

Sonic shrugged and swallowed the mouthful, "I just don't get full easily." he said, sitting up from the chair he had been sitting in. "However, I am full right now and I think we need to go. We are behind schedule and if Tails finds out… oh, he'll go on and on telling us about how important it is to stay on track and all that stuff. I'm telling you, once that kid starts a lecture, it just never ends."

Sally smiled and nodded, "I know what you mean." She stood up as well, looking around. "I wish we could fix up the rest of Knothole, though…" Sally whispered, making Sonic look back with a surprised expression.

"If we had the time we would, but we don't. Plus… I'm not sure we could fix all of the problems. I'm sorry to say this, but…" Sonic stopped when he realized he had gone a little too far. When he realized that, it had been a little too late.

The sparkle in her eyes had died and a weak smile was slowly slipping from her lips. "I know that Sonic. I just wanted to…" she stopped and looked away. He had definitely said the wrong thing. Sonic took a step forward, his hand outreached.

"Sal I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

She pushed his arm away, "It's okay… I'm just…" she stopped and bit her lip. "Um, I'll be right back." And with that she turned and dashed off.

Sonic leaned forward ready to follow her, but he stopped. She needed time to cool down. Sighing, Sonic sat back down in his chair. Why had he done that? Of course she knew that she couldn't fix the forest. He looked down at his feet. If only there was a way to do such a thing. Sonic didn't know what to say to her, and he didn't have the time to think of something because Sally had already walked back in.

He shot up out of his chair, his heart racing. "Sal I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"Sonic, it's okay. You're right; the forest isn't going to be fixed." Sadness was not present in her words, nor was the numbness he had been expecting. He raised his eyebrows. She was good at hiding her pain, but not quite good enough. "I'm fine, I just needed to go look at something real quick." She smiled, "Let's get going, okay?"

Sonic sat in the chair for a few seconds, looking at her with a blank expression. She said she was fine, but Sonic knew otherwise. He was silent as he stood up, but he sighed when he looked at her. "Alright…" Sonic looked at her carefully, his hands behind his head. "You sure you don't want to stay awhile and fix the place up a little more?"

Sally shook her head, "No, we need to get going. We don't have forever, right?" she asked, looking at him with a smile. "Besides, we can come back after we defeat Eggman."

Sonic looked at the ground and nodded, "Yeah…" he sighed.

Sally nodded and grabbed him by the wrist, "Let's go than!" she exclaimed, leading him off as she grabbed Nicole with her free hand. She pressed a few buttons and looked up, "This way."

He simply complied and walked along with her. Silence followed as thoughts ran rampant throughout Sonic's mind. Sonic knew for a fact that Sally wasn't okay with them leaving so soon. She had been hoping that they could fix Knothole for good and they were already leaving. He could see it her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, that fact would not stay buried underneath the fake smile she was wearing.

After several minutes of walking they had found themselves on the outskirts of Knothole. Soon they'd be running towards the next temple, and as they were drawing nearer to where they were running, Sonic's thoughts grew more and more desperate. There had to be some way to fix Knothole, he knew it! Somehow… somehow…

Suddenly his other voice of reason took over. Why was he trying so hard to please her? His mood was beginning to drive himself insane! Yes he cared for Sally, but this was crazy! Was he really going to sit here and rack his brain for a cure until he had a headache? And for what, to fix a forest that was impossible to stabilize? If the answer wouldn't have appeared at that very second, he probably would have.

Without a second to explain himself, Sonic pulled his hand away from Sally's grip and turned back to Knothole. He ran as fast as he could, excitement filling his body and a smile growing on his face. It had to work! Sonic knew this for a fact. He ran as fast as he could, moving at such a speed that it was no longer possible to see him. Sally had been so confused at what had happened that all she had been able to do was stand there in astonishment for several seconds. Sonic hadn't noticed, but he did notice that he had reached the place he needed to be.

Sonic skidded to a stop and looked around. The perfect spot! He pulled the chaos emerald out looked up as he raised the shining jewel above his head. He inhaled and yelled out, "Chaos regeneration!"

The flow of energy was slow at first, but when it began to move, even Sonic was amazing. All around him, chaos energy was swirling around in bright and dark greens that instantly gave a whole new life to the world surrounding him. He smiled and with a wave of his hand sent the chaos energy to work.

It spread out at a magnificent pace, and the results of its pace was a gorgeous a luscious green. He watched as it embraced the dead trees and filled them with life, their beautiful colors springing to life like never before. The grass too breathed again, making Sonic look down with a smile as it reached for the sky above. When he looked up once again, leaves and branches were stretching out to touch each other; almost as if they felt the joy of living once again.

Sonic's humble smile had transformed into a full blown grin, and he had to constantly spin around to follow all that was happening. The dead branches and twigs that had fallen to the earth had faded away and been restored on the trees above. Trees that had collapsed in the flames were standing tall once again. And perhaps the most amazing aspect was the life and energy that filled each breath Sonic took in. It had seemed like only a few seconds had passed and when it was all over, Sonic almost wished that it would happen again.

He continued to look around, amazed with the beauty around him. It was so wonderful! Words could not describe how he felt. Sonic turned once more and saw the girl who was gaping. He smiled, and Sally looked at him with something more than shock or joy.

For over a minute, she was silent as she looked around, her eyes wide and filled with wonder. She looked at him and asked breathlessly, "Did you do this?"

The smile was his answer. Sally smiled and let a breath that almost sounded like a sob. Sonic's smile widened. She looked around, tears forming in her eyes as she covered her mouth, emotions running rampant throughout her heart.

He had done it! Sonic had restored the forest. A short sigh was released as Sonic closed his eyes. Just before words could be formed, Sally ran up and wrapped her arms around him. His heart skipped a beat as he looked down at the young woman, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Thank you Sonic." She whispered, Sonic's eyes wide. "You have no idea how much this means to me." She was silent as she rested her head on his chest. His cheeks flushed red for some reason, and he found that his heartbeat was speeding up. Although his head was telling him to push her away, his heart said something different.

Sonic smiled softly and wrapped his arms around her. "You're welcome Sal." He told her, warmth filling his chest. Gently, he put his arms on her shoulders and pulled her away, "What are friends for?"

Sally nodded and wiped the tears. "Yeah…"

Sonic nodded back then looked around. "Well, we should get going." He paused, putting on a serious expression. "If I had a ring for every time we've said that so far…" Sally laughed, Sonic raising his eyebrows at her laughter as he began to walk.

"What's so funny? It's true!" he asked, Sally rubbing her eyes as she let out a few giggles.

"That's why it's funny!" Sally told him, "We've said that, heaven knows how many times by now that it's not even sounding cool anymore."

Sonic raised an eyebrow, "That was considered cool?"

Sally shrugged, "How should I know?"

He grinned, putting on his flirty grin for some unknown reason. "If I say it, it still sounds cool! We should get going!"

Sally shook her head, "I swear, you are the weirdest person I know."

"What?" Sonic gasped, "What about Antoine?"

Sally's eyes grew wide at the mention of Antoine, but Sonic didn't have time to ask why, for something neither of them could have predicted occurred. As words were about to form, Sonic heard something. It was a very faint voice. At first it was quiet, but it got louder and louder, making them recognize it as a very frantic yell. They both stopped walking to look around for who it was when suddenly something fell in front of them. Or to be more accurate, someone fell in front of them.

Sonic and Sally's eyes grew wide, but without anther word they ran to the figure. When they reached him, they were even more surprised with what they found. It was a pink hedgehog with red stripes that looked just like Shadow (even wearing the same kind of bracelets). He was covered in deep wounds that were bleeding, awakening a level of concern to Sonic.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Sonic asked, reaching a hand forward. The hedgehog moaned, still on his stomach. "Hey, do you need any help?" the hedgehog was silent. Sonic shook his head. He wasn't going to wait for an answer. With that thought in mind, Sonic grabbed the hedgehog by the shoulder and with one amazingly strong motion, pulled him to his feet.

Once on his feet, he staggered for a second. He kept his balance and stayed on his feet, but he looked a little out of it. Moaning once again, he looked at Sonic with his red eyes. "Thanks for that…" he took a good look at Sonic and suddenly jumped. Sonic and Sally raised their eyebrows. This boy sure was… "different", if that was the way to say it.

He looked at Sonic and Sally, "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you two?"

"Seventeen. Why do you ask?" Sally responded, shrugging as she spoke.

He pointed towards Sonic, then Sally, his eyes wide. "I should not be here right now." The boy bit his lip and began pacing around. "What am I going to do? As soon as I get back he is going to kill me! I could apologize, but he probably wouldn't care… oh man, I am in for it! He is going to kill me!"

"Hey wait, calm down kid!" Sonic exclaimed, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. He stopped his frantic pacing and looking at the blue hedgehog, worry in his expression. "What's going on, who's going to kill you?"

He sighed, "My dad. He's the one who did all of this to me," he explained, motioning his hands at his bloody body, "He's probably going to do it again."

Sonic raised his eyebrows, "Your dad did that to you? Isn't that abuse?"

The boy shrugged, "He had a good reason." He said, walking off so he could pace again.

Sonic looked at Sally. They exchanged confused glances and Sonic shrugged. He looked back at the boy, "Listen, uh…"'

"Shade,"

"Shade…" Sonic sighed, looking back at Sally for a second before continuing. "If you're in trouble I could help you out."

"No no, it's fine." Shade sighed, turning back to them. "Can I just ask for one thing?"

"Sure."

"I know you guys have a chaos emerald on you. Can I borrow it for just a second? I'll give it back, I just need enough energy to patch myself up and get back home." Shade explained.

Sonic nodded, taking the chaos emerald out. "Here," he said, reaching his hand out towards him.

"Thanks," he put his hand on top of the emerald, taking in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. A wave of chaos energy flooded Shade's body, healing all of the wounds within an instant. He opened his eyes and looked back at Sonic. "Thank you."

Sonic nodded, "No problem!"

Shade smiled again and turned around, walking off without an explanation. He lifted his hand up and yelled, "Chaos control!" resulting in a large ball of light appearing behind him. He looked at the two and smiled, "Thanks you guys, see you later!" The ball moved forward, enveloping fully. Before they both disappeared, he said in a barely audible voice, "It's weird seeing Aunt Sally and Uncle Sonic when they were this young…" and he disappeared, the light flashing brightly before he was gone.

Sonic looked forward where he had been standing. That sure had been… weird.

"Sonic," Sally spoke, "Did he call us Uncle Sonic and Aunt Sally?"

He looked down at her and shrugged. Indeed he had said that, but Sonic didn't want to freak Sally out. "Who knows? Maybe the kid was delusional?" he sighed and looked ahead. The two began to walk, staying silent as they thought. They had not even been ten feet away from where he had fallen when Sonic started laughing.

Wondering if he had lost it, Sally raised an eyebrow. "Um, Sonic, are you okay?"

Sonic nodded, still chuckling, "Of course. I just realized who that could have been back there."

"Who?" Sally asked, hoping he wouldn't say something cheesy like: he's Shade of course!

Sonic looked back for a second, "I think we just met Shadow and Amy's future kid."

Sally raised her eyebrows, "Really? I didn't know they liked each other."

The blue hedgehog shrugged, "Eh, I don't know. Maybe they like each other, or maybe they're going to like each other. All I know is that definitely was their future kid."

Sally folded her arms. "Huh. And here I thought Shadow wasn't the type to like kids."

"You'd be surprised, Sally-dearest." He said, looking ahead for a second as he put his hands behind his head. Suddenly he realized something, "Hey wait, how do you know Shadow?"

Sally smiled, "He saved my life once."

Raising an eyebrow, the hedgehog smirked, "Really? You'll have to tell me all about it."

Sally hummed, "Maybe…" she smiled mischievously, "If you can catch me!" she exclaimed, running ahead as she laughed.

Sonic laughed, "No problem!" he yelled out, running forward. Flawlessly, he scooped her up into her arms, Sally and Sonic both laughing. Neither one knew why they were laughing, but they did know that they were happy. With that joyful note, they traveled to their next destination, ready for another great adventure.

* * *

><p>Okay, I usually don't do author notes, but there is something I need to say this time! School is going to be in soon, so chapter updates are going to be a little slow. Trust me, this makes me sad too! Unfortunately, homework is something I can't control, but I promise you in saying that this story will be finished one day!<p>

On another note... look at those conflicting feelings! Will Sonic like Sally or ignore his feelings? Stay tuned to find out!


	9. Enter: The Fire Temple

**Chapter 9: Enter: The Fire Temple**

The mountainous region Sonic and Sally had found themselves in was much different than the place the last emerald had been located in. Knothole and the surrounding area was a forest region filled with beautiful green and bursting with life. Where Nicole had led them was the exact opposite. There were no luscious and vivid colors of green this time. There were dark blacks and dull browns that surrounded them instead, leaving them both a little bored.

They had left the day before. The fact that they had arrived so late surprised Sonic very much. It actually left him a little disappointed, but Sally was smart enough to remind him that there had been several factors that had made reaching their destination more difficult than usual. There was the extra weight he had to carry, the mountainous region they had to climb, and several rivers that they had to avoid. Despite the "reassurance" he was a little mad with himself.

The journey to the next emerald had taken a little longer than suspected, but Sally hadn't really cared much. She was finally getting used to traveling at such high speeds again, and because of it, the journey had actually been quite enjoyable for her. Plus, Sonic was finally carrying her in his arms again. Secretly, it pleased Sally quite a bit. It was much more comfortable than having to hang on, and she had actually been able to take a nap while he had been carrying her. Sonic himself had slept when nightfall had arrived, then continued the run at daybreak.

It had been a few hours since they had woken up. Sonic had ran for an hour when a sort of dinging alarm sounded. Nicole informed them that they were not far from their destination, and the run slowed to a walk. After getting a bite to eat, they headed up the steady incline above them.

Sally looked at Nicole, raising her eyebrows at a strange title to a message she had received. Sonic was busy whistling some strange song, but when she opened the message, he instantly had to stop. The message had an audio attachment, and it was very, very loud.

Frantically, Sally scrambled to close the message, "Gosh darn it, why won't it turn off! Stupid spam messages!" she exclaimed, smacking the little robot in a furious effort to turn off the song.

Sonic raised his eyebrows, a smile on his face. He very easily recognized that song. "What, not found of Hatsune's voice?" Sonic asked with heavy sarcasm in his voice.

She shook her head, "That's not it at all! It's too loud! I can't even hear myself think!" she yelled. Her statement had been true, as the song was gradually growing louder. Sally yelled out, "AGH!" Sonic laughed once again, making her glare at him for a few seconds.

Sally had still not been able to turn the music off after several minutes (as it was on an irreversible repeat setting) when suddenly—to Sally's surprise—Sonic started singing along. All she could do was look at him with wide eyes. Although she had been Sonic's friend since they were little, this had been the first time she had ever heard him sing (despite having tried to make him sing before during their few times at school). That had surprised her, but another little fact threw her for a serious loop. He was good. No, he was better than that, he was really good.

The song was quite a high pitch, so the hedgehog sang it an octave lower than the notes in the song, but it sounded wonderful just the same. Sally was listening so intently that she didn't bother to look ahead as they continued up the slope. His voice was very… what was the word? She didn't quite know, but she didn't care at the moment. At that moment, all she wanted to do was listen. He sounded so nice that when Nicole finally stopped playing to song, Sally almost felt sad. Before she could do anything, Sonic sighed and put his hands behind his head.

"Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?" Sonic asked, sounding rather pleased with himself.

Sally shook her head, "I had no idea you could sing. I knew you could play the guitar, but that… that was awesome. You have a really nice voice." She said, a genuine smile on her face.

Sonic grinned, "Yeah, it was pretty awesome. I am pretty awesome, aren't I?"

"Oh yes! Absolutely amazing! Do it again, sing me a pretty song! This time, sing about ponies and fairies and ice cream!"

Sonic looked at her with a semi-irritated expression. "I will end you…"

Sally just laughed, "Sure you will. Then you'll be able to go on this adventure all by yourself! Won't that be fun, being all alone all the time? No one to talk to you! Of course, you'll probably end up talking to yourself." She said with a smile. Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I'm the one who talks to myself?" Sonic said in a sarcastic voice, "I was sure that it was you who did that. If I'm right—which I am—you were talking during your nap yesterday."

Sally raised an eyebrow, "Really? And what did I say?"

He shrugged, "The usual. Sonic is so awesome, he has the coolest chest fur ever, stuff like that." Sally looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and Sonic just chuckled.

Nicole still in hand, Sally shook her head. "The coolest chest fur ever? I swear, you are too weird." She looked down at Nicole's screen as Sonic looked up ahead. "Hm…"

"What?" Sonic asked, leaning closer so he could see the screen.

"The next temple is just up ahead." She said, pointing forward. "About ten miles and then we'll be to the entrance. It gets steeper as we go up, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say—" Sally stopped mid-sentence as Sonic scooped her up in his arms. He shot off without a warning, leaving Sally frantically scrambling to keep a grip on Nicole.

"Sal, you need to stop explaining so much," Sonic explained simply as Sally carefully put her arms around him, her heart racing as she tried to get a grip on what to do. "Just go with the flow! That's what I always do."

Although his sudden action of grabbing her had surprised her, she spoke as she put Nicole away with her free hand. "I would if it didn't result in broken legs and being covered in bug guts." She explained with a sarcastic grin.

Sonic closed his mouth, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes at the same time. "Shut up…" he growled, making Sally laugh yet again. He sure did hate how she had to be right all the time.

After a few seconds of running, something in Sonic kicked in. Sonic recognized it easily, and he began to glance around to see if he could spot what he had sensed. He had felt it earlier, but only now did it strike him with so much power. He could feel that there was a large mass of chaos energy nearby, and he had a gut feeling that it happened to be where they were heading. Within a few seconds, Sonic found that he had been right.

Before them was the temple—as expected—but it was built on something that instantly screamed danger. Of all the things, the temple had been built on an active volcano, which to their surprise was spewing lava on the other side. The surrounding area was black like coal, which came as no surprise, and there was no hint of life anywhere. Sonic smiled, and Sally sighed. Excitement filled one heart, but annoyance swelled in the others' heart.

The volcano was also surrounded by two very different slopes. There was the steady incline the two were heading up, and a very steep side that transformed into a drastic drop off. They could not see much of it, but of what they did see, they knew that it was best to avoid that area. Instead, Sonic continued toward the temple. Before they knew it, they were standing at the temple doors.

Eyes filling with fascination, Sonic put Sally down and looked up at the door. He raised his eyebrows, marveling at what he had discovered. "There's another rhyme." He whispered as Sally walked forward, touching one of the doors. She glanced behind at the four steps he had scaled, then back at the door. "Within these wall lay brim and stone, that if not careful, shall burn your bone."

Sally looked at him, "Excuse me?"

"Look," Sonic pointed up, "There. It's like the one at the forest temple, right?"

Sally nodded, "Yeah. What a coincidence, huh?"

Sonic shrugged as he walked forward, placing his hands on the doors. "Maybe, but I think that someone did it one purpose." He stated, throwing open the doors with a sturdy push. They crashed against the wall with a loud bang. He turned to Sally and motioned her to walk in.

She raised her eyebrows at the strength Sonic had displayed as she walked forward. "I'm not too sure about that, Sonic. Look at them; they are hundreds of miles away from each other. They look nothing alike! Not only were they separated by space, but time as well."

Sonic sighed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was just saying. Sheesh, is it a crime to speak my mind around you or share my opinions?"

In a sickly sweet voice, Sally cooed, "Yes, yes it is."

"You little…" Sonic whispered, Sally smiling as they looked forward. Like the last temple, it started off with a long hallway. Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

"It's a very simple temple from what Nicole is showing. It appears that the structure is fractured and has separated from several sections, but the emerald is just ahead. No special routes required." She looked up at Sonic, "Lucky you. You get to run in this temple!"

"Sweet," with a smile, Sonic looked at Sally. "You ready?"

"Need you even ask?" Sonic shrugged yet again and picked Sally up.

"Just wanted to make sure." Sonic sighed, looking forward. He took one step and flew off, not even daring to look back.

The walls of the fire temple was not like the previous temple's decorations in the slightest, as they were not any what gag-worthy. Instead, the walls were covered in designs that were geometric in every sense. The walls were decorated with squares, triangles, circles, and many other shapes that were much too complicated to have a name. Sonic enjoyed the pictures on the wall, but before long, Sally spoke.

"Hey, are you seeing the bird in the picture?" Sally asked, making Sonic look at the pictures more carefully. He hummed for a second before the picture was clear to him.

Sonic nodded, looking back ahead as soon as he had figured it out. "Yeah," he smiled, "I hope we get to fight it. That would be awesome."

"Is that all you ever want to do? Beat up giant creatures and race black hedgehogs?"

Sonic let out a 'ha' and shook his head, "That's not all I do… I also like beating up men who are shaped like eggs." Sally giggled at his comment looking ahead when the hedgehog began to speed up. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide.

Growing closer at a rapid pace was a wall colored with faded grays, oranges, and reds. To her horror, he was running faster and faster with each second. It was obvious that he had no intention of turning, and terror began to fill her. She let out a yell, but something suddenly morphed her yell into an even louder scream.

Like the walls at the forest temple, they didn't quite reach the ceiling. There was about a fifteen feet gap between the wall and ceiling, and there was also a miniscule gap from the floor to the wall as well. Sally had no idea of what Sonic was to do to avoid it, but with a sudden force, Sonic had thrown the chipmunk-squirrel-highbred into the air over the wall. She screamed so loud that it made Sonic's ears hurt. Despite this, he did a lightning quick summersault to avoid the wall as well.

He jumped up and ran forward, catching Sally just before she reached the floor. Speeding forward, Sonic looked down at the poor girl. She was panting heavily, glaring up at the hedgehog.

She gritted her teeth, "Don't… you ever… do that again." She ordered, anger and fear mixing together in such a fashion that Sonic couldn't help but feel a little sorry for what he did.

He looked forward again, the sight before him making him forget what he had just said and felt. An empty chasm was rushing towards them at an incredible speed, making the hedgehog grin. What fun this temple had been so far! "Sorry Sal," he said, looking up at the walls covered in broken stone, "No other way around!" and he threw her up again, this time at the wall off to the right.

She screamed for just a second before she grabbed onto the wall and rapidly climbed over the other side. As she did so, Sonic ran over to the other side and sped up, running on the wall itself. He passed the chasm at the same time that Sally had landed on the ground (her speed of climbing surprising him) and without a moment to spare, he dashed over and picked her up once again.

Sally was folding her arms, an ornery expression over-taking her face. Upon seeing it, Sonic only laughed. "Oh come on Sal, that was fun!" he exclaimed, looking down at Sally with a large grin.

She looked up at him and told him in her nastiest, angriest voice possible, "You. Are. Insane." Sonic laughed even harder, his mischievous expression returning.

"If you thought that was insane, just watch this!" Then, he turned around and began to run full speed backwards.

"Sonic!" She yelled, doing her best to look over his shoulder, "You are going to kill us!"

"Relax Sally, I know exactly what I'm doing!" he told her, not realizing that the hallway had transformed into yet another drastic uphill slope.

"Sonic, be careful!"

"Sal, I know exactly what—" his footstep found no footing, and suddenly the two were falling. Sally screamed again, and when Sonic looked down, he almost lost his cool as well. His eyes grew wide at what he saw. A burning lake of lava was now only feet away as they descended, but before they could burn away in the molten liquid, Sonic conjured the green emerald and called out, "Chaos control!"

A nearby rock became their rescuer when they both found themselves on its rough surface. Sally was looking around in a frantic manner at what was surrounding her, and Sonic was looking around at what they had to pass. There were numerous other rocks that floated in the lava, and some of them were close enough the rock they were on at the moment to jump over to. Sonic grinned, looking down at Sally who was on her knees.

"Are you ready?" he asked calmly as Sally stood up, wiping her brow at the intense heat.

"For what?"

"We need to go on!"

Sally gritted her teeth and covered her face with one hand. "I swear… you are the most suicidal and reckless boy I have ever met."

He shrugged, "Like I didn't already know that! Now come on, let's go!"

She sighed and looked up, checking ever side to see the possibilities of their next action. Looking around, she swallowed. "So, we need to get to the East end of the temple," she pulled Nicole out of the pocket in her vest and looked at her. "We need to go that way." She pointed to the other side of the lake and Sonic grinned. Although it was a little hard to see, he could spot a pathway leading to a monstrous doorway. There was no doubt in his heart that the door was where the next emerald was hidden.

"Sounds like a plan! Let's get jumping!" he exclaimed.

Sally sighed, folding her arms, "What, no elaborate chaos control this time?"

Sonic shrugged, "Emergencies only."

Sally nodded, looking ahead. "Okay than." She looked at a rock nearby and backed up a little bit, "So if I fall, you'll catch me no problem?"

"Every time."

"Very reassuring," she spoke in a regular tone before dashing forward. She leapt before reaching the edge, flying in the air and landing easily on the rock she had been aiming for. Turning, she called out, "Your turn!"

The hedgehog nodded and ran forward, jumping so far that he landed farther than planned. He had totally passed the boulder Sally had landed on and landed on a much smaller, less stable rock. It was so small that there was only room for one foot, and when his foot touched it, he almost went flying into the lava before him. The best part was the squeal that had erupted from his throat when it occurred.

"So," Sally called out as Sonic scrambled to find balance on one leg, "Does that count as an emergency?"

"Shut up!" Sonic exclaimed, yelping as he fell forward. He disappeared in a flash of green light, reappearing next to Sally, now lying on his stomach.

"Well?" she asked with heavy sarcasm in her voice.

Sonic growled and stood up, looking the other way. "No time! We must go!" and he jumped forward again, skipping the running step of the procedure.

Sally chuckled, "I'll take that as a yes."

The next half hour was spent similarly to their last temple experience; jumping and hoping to land on their target. They were cautious in every sense (especially after Sonic's failed jump) and they did their best to do so with speed. Despite such, it felt like they were making absolutely no progress. No matter how many times they jumped, it seemed as if they never grew any closer to their goal, and their constant slipping didn't help either. The heat wasn't exactly the loveliest factor either.

"Man," Sally sighed, wiping the sweat off her brow, "It's way too hot in here." She leaned all of her weight on one leg, looked around as Sonic landed next to her after a particularly long jump. She put one hand on her waist and used the free hand to fan herself.

Sonic let out a confident, "Ha!" and laughed, "That's just me. I am one hedgehog hunk, you know that, right?"

Sally raised an eyebrow, "Right…"

Sonic chuckled, "I mean, seriously Sal," he conjured up a mirror with his chaos powers and gazed upon his reflection, "Who could resist this work of art? Nothing less than a masterpiece!"

Sally shook her head, "Déjà vu…" she sighed, putting a hand over her head. Looking back at the arrogant hedgehog, she snatched the mirror out of his hand. "Give me this," The mirror dissolved in her hands, and Sonic laughed.

"If you want to gaze upon this magnificence, you can't see it in a mirror! This amazing view is only available here."

Sally stared at the hedgehog for a few seconds, a look that almost screamed, 'you idiot!' After a few seconds of awkward silence, Sonic laughed. "I was just kidding Sal!"

She smiled softly and looked at the ground, "I know… but you do know you are really weird, right?" Sonic nodded and Sally did a short nod back. They both looked off, and half-mindedly, Sally whispered, "But you are right… you are pretty cute."

Sally's comment made Sonic's cheeks flush, but before he could reply, Sally began to look around with a worried expression. "Something is wrong." Sally whispered, starting to pace around on the rock.

Sonic shook his head to escape his momentary daze, "What do you mean?"

"Look," she exclaimed, pointing towards the other side of the lake, which to his shock, was now farther away. "Like I thought, we haven't been making any progress. Heck, we're going backwards!"

Sonic gritted his teeth, "That's not good." He said turning away to look around once again.

"Obviously not!" Sally yelled, continuing to pace faster and faster with each second. She continued to talk to herself as Sonic closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, and let his senses take over. The chaos energy surrounding them was lively and abundant, and to his surprise, it was moving. Traveling, running… no, that wasn't quite the word. There was something nagging at him that he couldn't quite identify, but he just couldn't say it correctly.

"Sonic…" Sally's voice was filled with the worry that had taken her over, but Sonic ignored it as he tried to figure out what was going on. "Sonic." She said his name again, sounding more urgent. Once again, the hedgehog ignored her. "Sonic! Oh for heaven's sake," she exclaimed, shaking him so violently that his concentration was shattered. He had no time to speak, for she was pointing forward to what instantly answered all of their questions. It was at that moment that he realized that the correct word for the energy's movement, was flow.

The lava lake was not a lake at all. It was a river, and that river—just thirty feet ahead—was transforming in a water-fall. Or in this case, a lava-fall. Sally was wide-eyed and shaking, but Sonic merely smirked. Just how he liked it: challenging yet exhilarating.

As the rock moved forward at a slow pace that was gradually gaining speed, Sally put her arms around Sonic. Sonic glanced at her, "Hey Sal, we'll be okay!"

She shook her head, "Sonic, did it actually occur to that we could actually die?" she was shaking, and her voice seemed to reflect such as well.

Sonic looked down at the rock, "I just realized all of these rocks are floating…"

"Sonic!"

"Right, sorry! It just surprised me…" he sighed, glancing around. The rock was now moving at a considerably quick speed, and Sally's grip tightened around him. To her horror, the lava-fall was only a few feet away. Curiously, the hedgehog leaned forward. As they moved forward, something caught his eye. It was several feet down sitting next to the lava-fall, and Sonic instantly recognized what it was. His smile was almost devilish, it was so mischievous.

"Sonic… there's something I need to tell you. I—"

"Jump!"

Sally's eyes grew wide as the rock slanted with a descending angle. "Excuse me?"

"Go!" Sonic put his arms around Sally and lifted her up. She tried to protest, but the action had no effect, for his feet had already left the stone. For one breathless moment they were weightless, but gravity soon captured them. They fell, and as they did, Sally screamed. Sonic held her close, doing his best to protect her in case they did not reach his target. Luckily, they did not miss what they were aiming for.

Sonic had never landed on a spring while holding another person, so he was not able to correctly position himself for the perfect take off. What happened threw his body and mind for a serious loop. Sonic's body hit the red spring first, and it sent him flying so fast that when he hit the next one—landing on his stomach—all of the breath was knocked out of him. Sally followed, not being able to scream as the same was happening to her. To them it was an overwhelmingly insane experience, but to any watcher it would have been hilarious.

They were thrown into spring after spring so fast that even if they could have followed and figured out which direction they were heading, they would almost instantly afterward become disoriented by crashing into another spring. Up and down, left and right, they were sent hurtling in every direction that was imaginable. The two were so confused that after awhile, they forgot why they were even there. Just as they began to think it would never end, a final spring sent them across the lava and onto the bank they had been traveling towards.

Sonic landed first, crashing into the ground with a thud. He gasped as he laid there for a second; doing his best to get a grip on what had just happened. Sally soon landed after him, falling just a little to the left of him. Unlike Sonic, she wasn't as silent.

The poor girl was gasping for proper breath so hard that it sounded like she was hyper-ventilating. Sonic looked at her, "Are you okay?"

She shot him a look that could have killed him, Sonic raising his eyebrows. "Remind me never to listen to you again."

Sonic began to stand up, "Hey, I saved your life! You should be thanking me!"

Sally also stood up, "Saved my life? More like almost killed me… again." She began to sweep the dust off of her body, Sonic sighing.

"You're welcome." The hedgehog whispered, looking up as he too swept off the dirt clinging to his fur. Sally looked ahead at what Sonic had seen, a smile crawling onto his face.

"Looks like we're here." Sally sighed as the hedgehog began to walk towards the doors.

"Yep." Sonic said, placing his hands on the door. He looked back, "Ready?"

"Will we still go if I say no?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed, his gaze upon the door as he threw them open. Sally sighed, and Sonic looked back at her with a smile. "I'm just a doll, aren't I?"

"Oh yes, you truly are. So sweet and considerate!" Sonic laughed as Sally caught up to him. They didn't bother to look back as they walked into the room.

Like the previous temple, the chaos emerald was stored in a large circular room. Unlike the last; however, it had no staircase, no ceiling, and no decoration upon the brown walls. Curiously, Sonic looked around. The walls were tattered and broken, large chunks missing and to his surprise, some parts were charred. Sally noticed such as well, but she was looking up at something else.

"Sonic, look!" she exclaimed, pointing up to a ledge on the wall that jutted out by a few feet from the rest of the wall. His attention followed her finger, and a shining red stuck out instantly.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed, "But how do we get up there?"

Sally shrugged, "Not sure. Maybe we can—" a pillar of flame found itself in Sonic's peripheral vision, and his body moved before his mind had processed what had happened. He scooped Sally up in his arms and dashed off, avoided the fire before Sally even had a chance to see it. As Sally began to look around in an attempt to figure out what had happened, Sonic looked up to the source of the attack.

Sitting on one of the largest ledges was a bird the color of obsidian, black flames dancing wildly about on its feathers. It snarled and cawed at Sonic and Sally, making Sonic grin. As Sally's gaze found the creature, her eyes grew wide.

The phoenix hissed at them, and Sonic laughed. "Oh, Polly want a cracker?" Like always, excitement began to fill his heart. How he loved this adventure.

* * *

><p>Some of the people who have read this have been confused as to what "universe" this is in, so to clear things up, I shall answer! My Sonic stories are a combination of my favorite parts of most of the Sonic universes. There are large parts of the comics and SatAM, lots of stuff from the games, and even a little bit from others like Sonic Underground (which explains Sonic's singing and guitar skills).<p>

Also, I may need to do some sort of a pre-Fragile prologue to explain how all of these universes fit together. If I did do something like that, I think I'd post it on my profile... or maybe add it to this eventually? I'm not sure right now, but hopefully, I'll be able to get it all situated soon! If you guys would like a prologue, just comment in the review!

Anyways... fun chapter, huh? Sally screams a lot.


	10. Fight Fire With Fire

** Chapter 10: Fight Fire With Fire**

The black phoenix didn't waste any time in introductions or petty gestures, but instead dove down at them, similar to the mosquito's maneuvers in the previous temple. However, the phoenix was much faster than the bug, and much more dangerous. It swept down, releasing a loud cry that made them both cringe. Sonic dashed out of the way, looking up at the creature. It was beautiful, no doubt about that, but it looked like it wanted to kill the two. And obviously, it did, for the creature was already turning around to try the move again.

The room they were in was huge, and it had to be because the bird was so large. It called out again, this time even louder. As it swept down, Sonic couldn't help but sigh. So this bird was going to do the same exact thing the bug did?

As if it had read his thoughts, the bird did not go after them as he had thought it would. Instead, it swooped up and landed on a particularly large ledge. The creature looked down at them, snarling every once in awhile.

Sonic swallowed, running over to the far edge of the room. He put Sally down, never letting his gaze stray for more than a second.

"You distract while I go for the emerald?" Sally asked as the bird began to steady itself.

He nodded, "Sounds like a plan to me!" They glanced at each other and nodded, then ran in separate directions. It was soon very obvious that the bird didn't like that. It cried out again, glaring at the animals below. When it called out again, the sound was accompanied with a searing jet of flame aimed at the ground in front of Sonic.

Sonic shrieked, skidding to a stop. The heat was far too much for him to handle in the few seconds he was exposed to it. He threw his arms up to block the heat, but the flames quickly faded. Gritting his teeth, he turned to the bird, "Watch it!" Instantly afterwards, the bird's claws crashed into his face and body, sending him reeling back into the wall. Of course the bird just happened to fly at him when he decided to look back!

The breath was knocked out of him as he collided with the stone, and when he fell to the floor, he crumpled in a pile of hurting hedgehog. As he sat back up, his back now sore, he brought his hand up to the left side of his mouth where he had been hit. Blood was slowly beginning to trickle from his lip, making him growl. That was just lovely. Sonic shook his head and looked up. What he saw made his heart skip a beat— maybe a thousand beats—and fear swallowed his entire being.

The bird was cornering Sally, and it had opened its beak wide. Something worse than terror was on her face. "NO!" Sonic yelled, stretching his hand out as he shot up. Before he could reach her, the worst occurred.

A burst of black threw itself at Sally, and as she was not fast enough to avoid it, it hit her directly. She screamed, flying back as the bird cawed triumphantly, flames escaping from its beak in a wild dance. As he watched, something deeper than anger filled the blue hedgehog.

The bird was enjoying his victory so much that he did not notice that his other victim had risen. Sonic glared at the bird as he dashed forward and leapt up towards the creature. When he was close enough, he threw his foot back and let it shoot forward as fast as he could. The powerful kick was so strong that it sent the bird soaring into the wall. It let out a weak cry as it collapsed to the ground.

As soon as his feet hit the floor they led him to Sally. His heart was beating so fast that when he reached her, he was sure he was going to have a heart attack. He fell to his knees, ignoring the bird behind him as he looked down at her. Tears were filling her eyes and she was hyper-ventilating heavy sobs as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. Sonic grabbed her arms, pulling them away softly to view how bad the damage was. He gasped as he pulled her right arm away, for it revealed that not only had her body been burnt, but her left arm in the attempt to shield herself from the attack. The hair was no longer present were the burn was, and there was a terrible smell of burnt fur and flesh. He had been mad a few seconds ago, but now rage was exploding inside his soul.

Angry snarls soon filled his ears as the phoenix struggled to get up. Slowly, Sonic stood. "How dare you…" he whispered, clenching his fists.

The bird found itself standing on its claws, now as infuriated as Sonic was. It screamed and summoned forth a wall of flame, but before it could come close, Sonic turned. He threw his hands up and with a lightning fast motion, sent the flames into the wall above them. His loathing as black as a raven, he yelled, "HOW DARE YOU BURN HER?"

The phoenix screeched again, releasing more flames from his throat. Remembering a chaos energy technique he had learned from a purple cat, Sonic threw his hand forward, gathering the black flare around his hand. Both the bird and Sally gazed upon him with confusion, but there was no time to explain. The black faded to red, then burst into an aggressive abundance of blue flames. He gritted his teeth and without a word, ran forward.

Recognizing the threat, the phoenix flew forward, flames exploding as he screeched. Sonic yelled as he avoided the attacks, throwing a handful of blue at the creature. Each throw hit the creature, and when it did, the attacks made it screech in pain. Gritting his teeth, Sonic ran forward, throwing a blast of flames at the bird. It hit the phoenix's claw, resulting in another loud scream. Sonic nodded, than continued his arsenal on the phoenix. Although he knew he was going to win, he did not smile. His fury was higher up on the priority list at the moment than fun, and that was seriously saying something.

As he continued his attack on the bird, Sally found herself helpless to watch. She knew she couldn't help him fight, but there had to be something she could do! Gritting her teeth as the tears flooded onto her cheeks, Sally did her best to look around. Despite the chaotic battle in the room, the chaos emerald had not been disturbed. If there was ever a time to retrieve the jewel, it was now! The phoenix was distracted, and she was sure that with how angry Sonic was, he wouldn't let it even glance at her without going totally berserk.

Sally gritted her teeth as she ignored the pain and struggled to sit up. The slightest rubbing of skin against itself made her cringe and gasp at the pain, but she knew she had to ignore it for just a little bit. She just had to help him out! Although she was sure he was going to win, she had already convinced herself to retrieve the gem. Wordlessly, she traveled in the direction that the emerald was in.

Sonic was so deep in the battle that he did not notice what she was doing. The bird was covered in several large burns that had made several feathers fall out and burn away, and its fury had only increased in the process. Sonic was also covered in several burns, but it seemed as if they had no affect on him, for he simply continued to fight without any signs of actual tire.

The bird flew forward, throwing its claw at the hedgehog in the attempt to shed blood. Sonic gritted his teeth, jumping to the side as the bird cried out. He dodged the direct attack, but still found himself being grazed as he flew past. He only shuddered at the pain for a second, turning back as he grabbed his bloody shoulder. He had been fighting the beast for at least five minutes, and although the beast had been brutally injured, he was still going. For some reason, this made Sonic mad. When the bird turned back, Sonic was there to personally greet it.

He bounded upward, throwing his fist into the birds throat. It let out a choked cry of pain, flying backwards as it screamed. Sonic gritted his teeth, as he looked up, taking out the green emerald. "Chaos control!" he yelled, suddenly appearing by the bird again. It did not see him, but it sure felt the punch that sent him reeling even higher up. The black phoenix let out a weak cry, falling to the ground. When it collapsed, Sonic couldn't help but growl. Still, it did not give up. It stood up, now shaking, glaring at him with the last of his strength.

The look in its eye revealed something that he had not earlier seen. It was angry and it obviously wanted to hurt him, but it seemed as if something deeper than the physical pain he had earlier seen. Something had led that bird to attack them, something had been hurting the phoenix emotionally as well. Somehow, as the bird flew forward, Sonic realized what it was, cooling the anger in his heart.

He had spent so much time examining the emotions reflected in the bird's eye that he didn't dare dodge the attack. The bird rammed into him, knocking the air out of Sonic's lungs in an instant. It threw him forward into the wall, hitting it so hard that the loud crashing of rocks filled his ears. His back was exploding with pain, and when he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of the phoenix throwing itself into him.

He gasped as the breath was knocked out of him once again. There was too much weight on his chest for him to breathe properly, and his shoulders were pinned back to the wall from the phoenix's talons. It towered over him, making him shrink back as he gazed upon its figure. It seemed as if it was so angry that the hatred was radiating off of the creature, and the gesture of its head rearing back only reassured him of such. Just before it lunged forward, Sonic heard Sally's voice.

"Sonic!" She exclaiming, making Sonic's heart skip a beat from surprise, "Here! Catch!" she exclaimed.

The bird loosened its grip as its head flew forward, and Sonic took advantage of the situation. He pulled his arms of the talon's grip, resulting in his left forearm gaining a fresh bloodied wound. Ignoring his discomfort, he did a quick summersault under the creature, running forward toward what was falling. He saw the object and dashed forward, catching the red emerald with his right hand. Stopping, he looked up to the ledge the jewel had been on. He raised his eyebrows at Sally, who was now sitting up on the very shelf. Before he could comment, the bird cried out.

Sonic wiped around just in time to see the bird heading towards him and avoid the strike with a quick backwards step. The bird tried the maneuver again, failing to land an effective hit. After several poor attempts, Sonic finally changed his tactic of defense to offense. It was time to finish this.

After the fifth attempt, Sonic threw his arm up, catching the talon. It squirmed for a second before Sonic began—to every watching eye's amazement—swinging the bird around by its claw. It thrashed about in a wild attempt to escape, resulting in the hedgehog throwing the bird around even faster. After several large circles, Sonic gritted his teeth together. He steadied himself and gathered his strength. With one strong throw, the bird was sent flying into the air, wailing a horrible cry of fear.

The blue hedgehog held out the green and red emeralds, looking up. "Chaos control!" he cried out, warping directly above the creature. He gazed upon it for a second in the moment of weightlessness, then cried out; clutching the jewels, "Chaos…" he paused as he felt the chaos energy flow into his body and fill him with power, "IGNITE!"

An inferno of blue exploded from his fists, engulfing the creature within a heart-stopping moment. It wailed its death-cry, flailing about in a useless attempt to save itself. Sonic began to descend, watching as the creature fell and fell until he collided into the stone below. Sally had watched with wide eyes, shocked at the strength and power the hedgehog had displayed. He had defeated the creature.

Moments after the bird had reached the floor, Sonic's feet grounded as well. When he landed, he stood there for a second to look around at the damage. There were several intense charred marks decorating the walls and floor in a deadly fashion, accompanied with large sections of the wall now crumbled or missing altogether. It surprised Sonic—the amount of damage he made—but not as much as what was sitting in front of him.

He walked silently forward to the dying phoenix, its breathes labored and heavy. The look in its eyes made the little joy Sonic had earned from the victory die off as he reached the bird. What he saw humbled him within a second.

Tears were streaming silently from the bird's eyes as it gazed upon Sonic weakly. There was nothing left for that bird to hold onto, and the gaze in his eyes instantly told him why. Something—or someone—had left the creature. Someone that meant the world to him… someone like Sally. As the chipmunk-hedgehog hybrid finally reached Sonic's side, a flood of emotions had over-taken the hedgehog. He did not show it, but a supreme sense of empathy filled Sonic as he gazed upon the creature.

Sally swallowed, "Sonic… is it going to die?"

Sonic merely nodded. It was going to die, but the thought of it being his fault filled him with guilt. Or was it? He didn't know… but he knew that the poor creature was going to suffer. Unless… Sonic closed his eyes and put his fingers to his lips, "_C__andida__flamma__," _and a silent white flame was born on the two fingers. He moved them forward, letting the dancing flame jump to the bird eagerly. In an instant, the flames swallowed it.

Sally's eyes grew wide, "Sonic… why did you…?"

Sonic shook his head, "I didn't want it to suffer." The white flame moved much faster than the blue did, and within an instant, the body was nothing more than a pile of ash. Tears filled Sally's eyes. She had felt the sadness too…

"I thought…" she spoke as tears streamed down her cheeks, which was also from the pain of the burn, "Phoenixes… didn't die from fire, right? I thought that it didn't hurt them"

Sonic sighed, "It depends. Although they do die in a burst of flame at the end of their life, regular fire doesn't hurt them, but the fire I made did. "

"Chaos energy?" she asked with almost no energy left in her tone.

He nodded, "The bird itself was filled with negative chaos energy. This volcano is bursting with chaos energy itself, and usually, the phoenix would only take in the good. Something happened that made it sad or mad, and that made it take in the bad. It… was corrupted."

She looked down, walking closer to Sonic, "It's so sad though."

"Yes it is." Sonic whispered as he watched the white flames die down at the lack of material to burn. "But there is something good that comes out of this." He whispered crouching down. "Sometimes you make mistakes and you can't do anything about it. But when a phoenix dies…" he carefully dug his hands into the ashes and cautiously pulled something out. "They are reborn from the ashes."

In his hands laid a creature as black as night. It was covered in ashes and cawing in a quiet and young voice. The phoenix was now a baby! Sonic and Sally smiled as it looked up at them. "It's so cute." Sally cooed as she gently brought her hand forward and petted the creature.

"Yeah…" Sonic smiled, "It is." Sonic looked at Sally, a grin present on his face. She was crying, but now out of joy. He loved that smile on her face. Not only had he saved her, but he had also, in a sense, saved the phoenix as well. That had made her happy, and to him, that made the entire experience worth it.

After petting the baby for several seconds, Sally wiped her eyes. "That… was pretty cool." She said with her voice filled with tire.

Sonic nodded, looking at her carefully. "Yep." He said, looking up for a second before glancing at Sally's stomach and left arm. The burns were still present. "Hey Sal, do you want me to—"

"Yes please." She asked in a tone that was almost pleading.

Sonic grinned and nodded, "Can you hold junior here?" he asked, outstretching his hands. Sally quietly grabbed the bird and held him in her uninjured arm, grinning down at the baby as if it was her own. As she held it, Sonic took out of one of the emeralds and whispered, "Chaos regeneration."

Within a mere moment, the hair on her arm grew back and the burns faded to an unknown nothingness. Sally cringed for a second, but relaxed when it finished. Silently, she examined where the burns once were. She nodded in approval, than looked at Sonic. He was now looking up, a small grin on his face.

"Well looky here," he said, making Sally look up as well. "Looks like the family is arriving!" and surly enough, two more birds were slowly descended down from the roofless ceiling. Sally nearly jumped two feet in the air when she saw them, but a hand on her shoulder calmed her worry. "It's okay," he whispered, "They're here because of him." A wave of relaxation flooded her as she looked up, preparing for anything and everything.

The two birds were smaller than the black phoenix in its adult form, but when they reached the floor, they towered over the two animals. One of them was clearly larger, a great fiery red dancing on its crimson feathers, and appeared a bit feminine. The other, also feminine and a bit smaller, was a mixture of red and black with a dark red flame dancing upon its body. When the black baby bird looked at the phoenixes, it suddenly became excited, bouncing around in an excited and child-like manner. A black flame ignited on its body, but for some reason, it did not burn Sally.

They looked down upon the two creatures, eyeing them in a cautious order: the blue male, the black bird, then the brown female. After several seconds of silence, Sonic finally stepped forward. At first, the birds seemed a little offended and they acted as if they were ready to strike, but he brought up his hand before anything could happen. A blue flame lit up on the hand and died down within an instant, making the birds stressed positions transform to that of calmness and peace. Sonic smiled and nodded.

He opened his mouth and began to talk, and at first, Sally thought she could understand what he was saying. However, she soon realized (after several seconds) that he wasn't speaking his language at all. No, it sounded almost like some kind of bird language, if Sally didn't know any better. All she could do as he spoke was look around confusedly and nod when he pointed at her. What else could Sonic do that Sally couldn't even understand?

After several minutes of talking Sonic finally finished and nodded one last time. He then silently walked over to Sally, gently taking the bird as he smiled at her, then turned back to the birds. They seemed to smile as he carried the baby over, placing it in front of them. As soon as it touched the ground, it seemed to sprint over to the larger bird and awkwardly hugging it. The large bird only did a gesture that seemed happy, and Sonic smiled softly. Finally, the hedgehog walked back to Sally's side, looking up at the birds one last time.

"Our work here is done." He said, grabbing onto her left hand as he pulled out the red emerald with the left. "Chaos control!" and the world around them changed. Within a second, they found themselves on the steps of the fire temple, their mission for the day accomplished.

Sally looked at Sonic, curiosity filling her as the hedgehog stretched while releasing a loud yawn. She had seen him do so many amazing things that at that moment, all she could do was stare at him. The conclusion she came at felt like an understatement, but she shared it anyways.

"You are amazing." He looked over, surprise filling him. "You know that, right?"

His cheeks turned red and he smiled, "Ha, of course I do! But out of curiosity, why do you say so?"

"It should be obvious! You can use amazing chaos powers like blue fire, talk to phoenixes, you're super strong, and you run faster than the speed of sound! Is there anything you can't do?"

He smiled, "Swim?"

Sally smiled and laughed, "Yeah," she sighed looking ahead. She yawned, then looked at Sonic. Growling, she whispered, "Darn it. You made me yawn."

"I made you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever," she said, making him chuckle, "Let's just get going, okay? I feel like it's time for a nap."

He nodded, "I couldn't agree more." Sonic picked her up and ran off, a peaceful grin on his face. Silently as they traveled forward, Sally looked up at his shoulder.

"Why didn't you heal the scars?" she asked, for the phoenix's mark was still prevalent despite healing when he took in so much energy. The burns he had received were also gone, but she hadn't really noticed such.

"Battle scars are cool, what else to say?" He boasted.

"True," she smiled, closing her eyes for a second to think. "Hey Sonic, why did that phoenix take in so much negative energy?"

He shrugged and sighed, "He mate left him." Her heart skipped a beat in surprise, the sentence seeming very familiar to her. "He was enraged and heart-broken… and he didn't want anyone else to be happy. That's why he attacked us; he knew that we wanted the emerald and that it would have made us happy to get it. Cheesy, yes, I know, but I felt empathy for the guy, you know?" he said, smiling. "But his mate and their daughter returned to him. I think that's the best part."

Sally looked up at Sonic, surprised at the maturity and peace in his tone. "Yeah," she whispered, looking back down. She adjusted herself to sit in a more comfortable manner, then sighed . The hedgehog she knew two years ago had grown up so much that it was clear that he was no longer a boy. He was becoming a man, and a man that she deeply cared for. Silently, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his amazing heartbeat.

"You really are amazing Sonic…" she whispered, closing her eyes as the man she loved carried her towards their next destination.

* * *

><p>Oh yeah, time for some action! Woo-hoo! And oh my goodness, did Sally just think what I thought she thunk? You tell me!<p>

Anyways... as you can tell, Sonic has a ton of chaos powers, and one of them was taught to him by a "purple cat." Eventually after I finish Fragile and Glass Rose, I will write Sonic's chaos power training stories and the SilverxBlaze story I have, which is also a part of Sonic's training. This will explain a lot of stuff with the chaos arts for those of you that get confused, so look forward to it! I also plan to do a collection of Sonic one-shots, so look forward to that as well

On another note... haven't started writing the prologue yet, but I would like to know if you guys think it should be here or on my profile? Anyways... I hope you guys liked the chapter! If was fun to write.


	11. The Mind of an Evil Genius

** Chapter 11: The Mind of an Evil Genius**

The very idea made Dr. Eggman laugh. How perfect! How wonderfully ironic! The very tactics that had led to Sonic defeating him time after time were going to be the very plans that would bring him to his knees. Sonic had no clue, and Eggman knew that as long as the crucial information of the machine was kept secret, the hedgehog would never win. For the first time in years, confidence was becoming an understatement to the doctor.

As he walked through the hall of his greatest invention yet—known as "The Eggxterminator" by the Mobians—he couldn't help but smile. What a fitting name. Although yes, it was cliché, he enjoyed it. They were mortified, and he fed on that knowledge. Terror was an understatement. All of the Mobians and humans were fearing for the worst, but hoping for the one thing—or person—that would save them.

Dr. Eggman had not seen his foe for two weeks, which had been the day he had started the fire in the Great Forest. He knew for a fact that the hedgehog had followed his heroic instincts to run into the flames regardless of what injuries could have befallen him. And to make things even better, reducing the forest to ashes had killed two birds with one stone. Not only had he been able to rid himself of the hedgehog, but he had been able to destroy the rest of the pesky Knothole village. Sure, he had already captured most, if not all of the Freedom Fighters thanks to a certain skunk's information, but one soul had eluded him. But the fire had in no doubt made her lose hope.

Despite all this, Eggman knew that the hedgehog survived. Something as simple as a fire had no chance of keeping the fastest thing alive down. It was more than knowledge, it was fact. The greatest question in his mind was how the hedgehog reacted after being reunited with his princess after so many years of separation…

Dr. Eggman sighed, looking ahead at the two metallic doors before him. They did not ask for a proof of who he was, for he was the only organic creature on the entire robot. The doors slid open, and he walked into the control room of the Eggxterminator. He smiled. This was where he belonged.

He walked over; it was almost a strut, to the chair that overlooked the entire operation. As he sat down, he couldn't help but relish the sense of pride that was over-coming him. The mechanics behind the machine were almost flawless. Not even a diamond could have scratched the surface of the robot. It was beyond what someone could call "large", for the machine was roughly the size of the moon. But that wasn't even the part he was most pleased with.

It had taken him years to perfect the technology, but he had finally done it. The device's concept was simple, but the procedure to create it had been difficult. But now that it was finished, the greatest dilemma he had faced would become the key factor of the operation. So what did the machine do? It absorbed the chaos energy around it.

Sure, it didn't seem like it was such an amazing feat at the moment, especially since charging the machine in this condition was going to take a full twenty-nine days. But when Sonic came to attack him as Super Sonic… then he would gain the upper hand. The charge obviously wouldn't last the battle he was anticipating, but with the chaos powers flowing off Sonic, he was sure to win.

Dr. Eggman smiled, typing some commands into the control panel on his chair. "Computer, analyze statistics on the Eggxterminator's charge rate, function rate, and operation rate." Yes, he had taken the title and made it the official name of the robot.

"Analyzing," and artificial voice spoke, staying silent for only a second. "Charge rate approximately twenty-four percent complete. All systems in operation and functioning properly."

"Is there any signs of the hedgehog?"

"Negative doctor."

He looked forward out the window, his mind racing. "If there are any malfunctions or problems with the charging system, inform me at once." The computer released a beeping sound and continued in what he had been assigned to do.

Eggman nodded. He knew that nothing would have been out of place or faulty, for he had spent so much time working on the machine. It had taken him six months, the longest of any of his robots construction, to build it and go through the trial and error process, but he knew that it would be well worth it in the end. The chaos energy device had taken much longer to build, approximately a year and a half to be accurate. The only question he had concerning the device was how Sonic was going to react when he realized what it could do, but he already knew the answer before he asked.

He'd do the same thing he'd always do, "Really, is that all you got doc? I'd expect more after two years of not even bothering to say hi. Here, let me show you what I can do!" Modesty was an unfamiliar word to the hedgehog. Confidence and arrogance however, were like dear friends.

Smiling maliciously, the man leaned back in his chair. Without a doubt, he was looking forward to that moment, and all he had to do was wait. There was no need for him to intervene and steal the emeralds for himself, for within a few weeks, they would virtually be his. In fact, the entire planet would be his. If everything went according to plan—and he was sure it would—Sonic would finally face defeat.

At first he chuckled, and then he laughed. Maniacal, hysterical, whatever it was, it was the laugh of an evil genius that was going to take over the world.

* * *

><p>Sally watched in awe, a child-like wonder filling her. The emerald before her was floating around in circles, making shapes with the energy residue it left behind. First it made a smiley face, then a tree, and then it spelled out Sally's name. She smiled, glancing at the hedgehog that was moving the emerald.<p>

He grinned back at her, "Pretty cool huh?" then as the emerald floated near, he reached his hand out and took it.

She nodded, "Yeah. I've just got a question."

"Ask away." he said, grabbing the red emerald.

"What are the limits of your chaos abilities?"

He grinned, "Good question," he said, placing the emeralds side-by-side as Sally readjusted her position.

After the events at the fire temple, the two had decided to stop and rest for a few days—like they did after the forest temple—to regain their strength. They had spent a majority of the time napping (and running) and they were going to leave the next day for the next temple. At the moment, the two were sitting underneath a large tree, shading them from the intense rays of the sun.

"Really, the limits of chaos energy all depend on the person and the chaos energy balance in their body, soul, heart, and stuff like that." Sally looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Shadow explains it better, but you get the point."

"Okay, so explain that a little."

"Alrighty then, let's see…" he paused for a second and looked up. "There are different levels of chaos energy a person can have. There are some people who have high levels of it, like me, Silver, and Shadow. There are also others that do not have those high levels of energy. Those that do have high levels can master the chaos arts much easier than someone who has low energy in them. In fact, some people with low energy can't perform any chaos arts at all. Most humans are like that."

"There are also some people who have natural chaos energy imbalances that either makes them lose control or use chaos powers quite easily. My friend Blaze has a chaos imbalance, which is why she is naturally gifted with fire chaos powers." Sonic explained, "At first she couldn't control them too well, but over time she was able to master them no problem. Heck, she doesn't even need her coat anymore."

Sally raised her eyebrows, "Why did she need a coat?"

"It helped keep her powers in check or something." Sonic said, leaning back so he could lie down. "Anyways… she taught me what she knew with her fire power, which is why I was so awesome at the fire temple."

Sally chuckled, "You're very humble."

"The humblest." Sonic said with a grin as Sally looked up at the sky. "But like I was saying…" she looked back at him, "Chaos energy is pretty cool and stuff like that."

Sally nodded and looked up again. "Yeah, it is." Sighing, she leaned back into the position of lying down like Sonic had earlier. For an entire minute, neither of them said anything at all.

"So…" Sally sighed, "Today is day eight. We've got three more weeks to gather the rest of the emeralds and stop Eggman, right?"

The hedgehog merely nodded, "Yep."

"Alrighty." She sighed before chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"The world is going to be destroyed in three weeks are here we are, the world's only hope, sitting and doing nothing." Sonic raised an eyebrow as she sighed. "It's goofy in a weird way."

Sonic smirked, "I guess it is. But if you're really that worried about becoming sedentary—and yes I know what that means—we'll do something." He sat up, and Sally did the same.

When she looked at him again, he had an emerald in his hand and an unmistakable grin of mischief on his face. "I've been planning to use this trick on Eggman for quite a while. I'm just curious how it will work when I have someone accompanying me."

Sally's eyes widened, "We aren't going to chaos control to the robot, are we?"

"Not quite, but we will in a sense. Now don't look at me like that and just take my hand." Sally rolled her eyes after gifting Sonic with the strange stare, then did as he had ordered and took his hand. She couldn't help but notice how warm his grip was…

She didn't notice him close his eyes but when she looked up, she was met with a wall of blue. It didn't faze her, but the words that escaped from his lips did. They weren't a language she understood. For the first time since she had met up with him again, she wondered (if only for a second) how much more knowledge he had stored up in his mind. Before she could ponder another thought, his eyes shot open. Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed.

They were purely white. No pupils, no iris, nothing. In fact, to make the sight even more odd, she realized his eyes were glowing faintly. At first it scared her, but when she blinked, she found herself in a new setting. The grass and trees that had accompanied them merely seconds ago had been transformed into a lifeless metallic room of gray. She looked at him, his smile wide.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he turned away, looking to a round figure on the other side of the circular room. The figure stood by a window that took up an entire wall, looking at what appeared to Mobius from an angle only found in space. Sonic hummed, "I wonder if he notices I'm here."

"Of course I notice your presence. Those with such a mind as advanced as mine have no trouble realizing there is more than one consciousness in their thoughts. The principle is the same if they have high levels of chaos energy in their body, especially if the one invading their thoughts has high levels as well." The figure turned, and Sally felt a little foolish for not recognizing him.

Eggman let out an arrogant "ha," walking forward to the hedgehog. Sonic only smiled and folded his arms. "Well I guess my idea wasn't so bright after all."

He smirked, "Obviously not. But I must say hedgehog," he began to pace around the room, "This is quite a technique you have mastered. To enter the minds of others without being seen or detected is quite difficult, even for those who have mastered the chaos arts. I must inquire this much of you: where did you learn such a skill?"

Sonic put a finger to his lips, "It's a secret."

Eggman nodded, "And so is the information you were seeking." Eggman told him, his fingers intertwined. "You will not learn the weakness of this machine, for there is none."

Sonic laughed, "Not true Eggman! Everything has a weakness! Take me for example. I can't resist a good chili dog to save my life." Sally chuckled at his comment, for she knew it was true. Eggman turned away, looking toward Mobius once again.

"Perhaps there is wisdom in what you say, but rest assure, you will not find the weakness of this work of art!"

Sonic whistled, "If this is a work of art, I don't want to see what you'd do with a paint brush!" the doctor's head snapped back, his gaze almost curious.

"So rude!" he said, almost sounding slightly offended. "You should be kind to others Sonic. Your lack of manners could get you into trouble one of these days."

Sonic glanced at Sally and chuckled, "Believe me, it has."

Eggman just smirked, glancing to the window for just what seemed like the last time. "I have no doubt of that." He put his hand on the glass, "It's better to put your best foot forward in every occasion. Even if that occasion is to announce the end of the world."

Sonic raised an eyebrow, his arms still folded. "If you ask me, I think you overdid it."

"Why should I care of what your opinion on my announcement? I was aiming to strike fear into the hearts of the Mobians and humans here, not you. If I'm correct—which I am—I have accomplished that much. Just look at this planet. It's filled with beauty and life that could never be replaced. It's no wonder they are in distress."

Sonic growled, "And you're enjoying their fear?"

"Their terror is what I'm feeding on! Haven't you realized that yet Sonic? Their terror and the chance to watch you suffer is what I savor."

The hero gritted his teeth. Now, he was angry. "You are a disgusting old man and I hope you die alone." His words were out of character for the usually cool-tempered hero, and Sally couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in amazement. Sonic's sense of justice was one of the only things that could awaken such a temper. That, and when his friends were hurt.

"How can you live with yourself? You're so revolting that it's no surprise no one loves you. You are mad-man, and I can't wait to see you crash and burn."

Eggman's direction shot back at his foe, something deeper than loathing burning in his eyes. He stomped over, towering over the hedgehog. They glared at each other, years of rivalry exploding within the gaze they were sharing.

"You have not changed much hedgehog. Wiser you may be, stronger you may be as well, but all of the same weaknesses are still there. Openly displaying your emotions may be rare, but when you do so, you can very easily be defeated, Sonic."

Sensing the sudden seriousness in the atmosphere, Sonic stood up straight as the doctor gritted his teeth. "And with that, I have yet another question for you." His tone was menacing and heartless, but the hedgehog's courage didn't even falter for a second. "You are hiding someone from my mind, but I ask why you bother doing such a thing when I know exactly who it is. Yes," he looked right at Sally, "I know that you're here too princess."

Sally's heart skipped a beat and she stepped back. She had noticed that the doctor had been ignoring her, but he hadn't realized that Sonic had gone as far as to hide her from Eggman. It was almost as if he actually saw her expression, for he began to laugh. Before she could speak, Sonic grabbed her hand, his scowl piercing and endless. "We're done here."

The world around her spun for a second and when she blinked, she found herself back underneath the tree. Sonic's eyes were no longer blank, and that sent a sense of relief flowing through her blood. And yet, in a sense, they were still blank, for a glazed gaze had taken him.

"Sonic?" She knew he was mad, but she hoped that he could regain his optimism soon. His expression stayed blank. Sally swallowed. "Sonic? Are you okay?" Worry filled her entire soul, and she put her hands on his shoulders. "Sonic?"

He was silent. Sally bit her lip. Just as she was about to go into panic mode, he yelped. She flew backwards, a yelp twice as loud escaping from her throat. Sonic laughed, standing up within a second. "Ha!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger towards her, "You fell for it!"

Having done a backwards summersault, Sally couldn't help but grit her teeth. That mood recovery had been too fast. As soon as she was right side up, she looked up at the hedgehog, his grin triumphant. "You turd." She stood up, "I should have seen that coming!" she exclaimed.

"But you didn't! That was the best part!" he laughed, shaking his finger back and forth.

Sally sighed, "I guess you're right, my reactions are pretty goofy. But do you want to see something that even you won't see coming?"

"What?"

Sally grinned maliciously, and before Sonic knew it, he had been tackled and had fallen to the ground. It took him a few seconds to register the attack, but by the time he realized what Sally had done, she was already several feet away, laughing.

"Tag! You're it!" she exclaimed, a smile taking shape on Sonic's face. The hedgehog stood up, excitement filling him. As he had decided a long time ago, playing was the best way to get rid of a bad mood, and that was just what he was going to do.

* * *

><p>Oh that Eggman, when will he learn?<p>

A calmer chapter. The next one shall be filled with action! Get ready for it! :D

Also, I just want to thank those that read and review my stories, especially superdarksonic, SSJ04 Mewtwo, brave kid, and LordCooler! The reviews mean so much to me! Thanks for reading! And thanks to all of those that don't review but still read! Hope you all enjoy what else is to come!


	12. Enter: The Water Temple

** Chapter 12: Enter: The Water Temple**

Despite his joyous mood the days before, Sonic was dreading the temple that he and Sally were about the brave. He had known what it would be before he even looked at the map, and he had known it despite Sally's constant words of "comfort." It had taken two days to reach the place, having left the day after their game of tag. Unfortunately, the signs of the temples theme were abundant throughout. Rivers and lakes they had to avoid, areas thriving with wildlife and greenery, it was more than obvious. The next temple had a theme of thing he feared most: water.

Within a few minutes, Sonic and Sally were going to be at the steps of the temple, and he was dreading it with all of his heart. As he ran, Sally played a game on Nicole, feeding his irritation. Didn't she realize how much stress he was in? Growling, Sonic looked farther ahead. Sure enough, he could see the blue-green colored temple. And as he had anticipated, it was surrounded with bodies of water all around. So far, it had been the only temple close to the ocean, and it was accompanied with rivers all around. Although it was beautiful, Sonic couldn't help but cringe. He had a feeling that whatever happened in the temple wouldn't be good.

Hoping that he could draw out the moment by several more minutes, Sonic skidded to a stop. Sally had been so engrossed in her game that when Sonic finally stopped, she looked around confused, not knowing why she was on her own feet. She saved her game, then looked at the hedgehog. He looked ornery.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

The hedgehog pointed towards the temple. She looked over, raising her eyebrows. When she looked back at him, he had his arms folded. "I just knew that we'd have to go to one of these. I hate water temples."

Sally smirked, "I know, but we'll have to go through it some time. We might as well go in and get it over with."

Sonic sighed, "I guess you're right..." Sally nodded, then began to walk forward. Sonic followed, a scowl on his face. She looked back at him, smiling softly.

"What? Scared of getting a little wet?" Sally asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Sonic gave her one of his "please shut up" looks, making her chuckle. "You don't need to worry… hey, it might even rain soon, so it won't matter if we go in or stay outside!" His glare did not change. Sally sighed, "Seriously, I'm a good swimmer. You don't need to worry if you fall in, I can rescue you! It's no problem, really!"

Sonic sighed, looking up at the cloudy sky. "I know that Sal, I just wish the emerald wasn't here of all places, but I saw it coming. The rivers, the plants, heck, even a book I read once had the same order of temples! Forest, fire, then water."

Sally stopped for a second. She looked back at him. "You read a book?" her tone was dead serious.

Sonic nodded and kept walking, "Of course I did! Shadow made me during our chaos training. He said, 'if you want to successfully wield chaos energy, your body and mind must be strong!' I agree with what he said, and I have to be honest, I'm grateful for what all that training. I'm guessing you noticed how strong I am now? That's thanks to Shadow's training. I did a lot of stuff I usually don't do, and now it's kind of a habit. But anyway… I'm getting off subject. I really did actually read a book. In fact, I read several."

Sally nodded, looking ahead. "Wow. You're the last person I'd ever expect to read a book, no offense."

Sonic raised an eyebrow and glared at her, "Oh, I am." They shared a glance for a second before Sonic laughed. "I was kidding."

"Oh, right." Sally nodded, putting Nicole in her pocket. "I thought you were serious for a second." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, making her grin slightly. "Right." She looked up at the sky like Sonic had, then back at the hedgehog. "What was that book with the temples anyways?"

"I don't remember," Sonic shrugged, "It had a guy with a green hat and a cool sword, but that's all I remember, really. I read so many book that I can't tell Harry Potter from Bleach." Sally raised her eyebrows.

"How many books did you read, exactly?"

"I don't know. What I do know however, is that I didn't read a book about how to swim." He sighed, stopping to look up at the temple. Sally stopped as well, realizing they were just about to scale the stairs that lead to the entrance. She glanced at Sonic.

"You ready?"

He sighed, "No, but I don't have any other choice." Silently, the hedgehog walked up the stairs. Sally followed, grabbing Nicole out of her pocket once again.

Sally nodded, typing in a few commands. The map of the temple popped up on the screen, making her raise her eyebrows. The water temple was more complicated than the previous temples, and that made her slightly worried. As she analyzed the map, Sonic reached the doors and placed his hands on them. He sighed and pushed, and the doors swung open. To his surprise, a wave of water greeted him.

When Sally looked up, she saw the wave pass her, thrusting Sonic back down the stairs. She gasped, "Sonic!" Sally dashed down the stairs, the hero now soaking wet and wide-eyed. He sat up, coughing a few times. "Sonic, are you alright?"

Sonic nodded, standing up off the wet grass. "Yes, but if that's how the entire rest of the temple is going to be, then this is going to be one long temple indeed."

Sally sighed, "I know. Let's just hurry up so we can be done and over with it, alright?"

Sonic nodded, walking forward while shaking his head. "I swear, if I'm going to get splashed in the face every three seconds, I will scream. Oh and looky here," he said, looking down at the first step. "Guess what I see?"

Sally folded her arms, "I'm just going to take a guess. Another rhyme?"

Sonic nodded, "Yep. Let's see… If in this temple you wear a frown, it shall be because you drowned." Sonic stood there for a second, sighing as he stood up straight and walked up the rest of the stairs. "That sure is reassuring."

Sally hurried after him, glancing back at the staircase before dashing after Sonic to catch up. As soon as she was by his side, she put her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her as she smiled softly. "It will be okay, don't worry."

Sonic sighed, "I hope you're right."

"I am."

Sonic sighed, scooping Sally up in his arms as he did. "You better be. And in that case—" he dashed off, "Let's go!"

The immediate differences in the complexity of the temples soon became obvious. As Sonic ran down the hallway, waterfalls shot out it huge bursts of liquid. At first Sonic didn't seem to care, as he ran right through several of the waterfalls (which resulting in Sally becoming soaking wet as well.) After they ran through several of the waterfalls, Sonic looked down at Sally.

"You okay with getting wet?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Since I already am, I guess so." Sonic sped up, watching as the water dancing and reflected off the walls. Sally looked around, glancing down at Nicole for just a second. "We're heading in the right direction. We just need to go forward for a few more feet before we reach one of the largest rooms in the temple."

"Cool," Sonic sighed, looking ahead for just a second. Suddenly, Sonic realized something. "Wait, I didn't know Nicole was water-proof."

"New feature. Rotor added some new functions to her awhile back. She's virtually indestructible now."

"Sweet!" Sonic exclaimed, dashing past several waterfalls that were quite a bit bigger than the previous ones. "Speaking of which… where is Rotor and the other Freedom Fighters? You haven't mentioned them once our entire trip!"

Before Sally could speak, the hallway opened up into the most beautiful rooms either of them had seen on their entire journey. Breath-taking was an understatement. Sonic stopped running, skidding to discover an interesting surprise. When he stopping and attempted his skid, the hedgehog and Sally went flying forward, splashing into the water.

Sally stood up within a few seconds, and when she saw Sonic, she simply had to stare at him. He was sitting there in the six inch deep water, thrashing around, crying out, "Help! I'm drowning, Sally save me!" She walked over, standing over the hedgehog with an expression of pure awe.

"Sonic, just stand up." She whispered after several seconds of his wailing. He looked at her with an expression of confusion for a second, but then realized how shallow the water was. His cheeks burned red when he stood up, and Sally couldn't help but giggle.

"Um… let's go." Sonic whispered, Sally's grin wide as she giggled. Looking up, as Sally continued to giggled, Sonic raised his eyebrows. Waterfalls exploded from every side of the wall, and the largest one was on the wall farthest from where they were. The falls let off into a huge pool—at least twenty feet deep—decorating the ceiling and walls with beautiful shining lights. Green, light brown, and blue stone completed the scene, giving a new and unique glow to the room. Despite his dislike for water, Sonic liked the room. It was, in simple terms, beautiful.

"Let's see… the emerald is up on the second floor, which means we need to somehow get up past the big waterfall." Sally explained, looking carefully at Nicole. "There's a staircase we can take. That will be the easiest part though, because the rest of this temple is pretty much made of water-ways."

Sonic sighed and nodded as he looked up. "Then let's get this over with." He scanned the area for a few seconds before seeing the stairs. His eyes met them, and he noticed that the stairs had been built into the walls to add to the design. Without any words, Sonic dashed off. Sally stood there for a second, looking for Sonic when she realized he had ran off without her. When she found him, he was waving at her. There he was, standing at the top of the staircase, all the way next to the waterfall.

"Come on lazy butt! You can do it!" Sonic exclaimed, making Sally grit her teeth.

"You big turd!" she exclaimed as she dashed up the stairs. "You may be the fastest thing alive, but you don't need to taunt me about it every three seconds!" She ran around the corner of the stairs, Sonic laughing as she threatened him. As she scaled the stairs, she continued the threats until she reached the top step. As Sonic had predicted, she was out of breath.

He smiled as she looked at her, stopping to regain her breath. "Running… you… how… do…?"

Sonic patted her head, "My young padawan, that is a secret that only I must know. Besides, you've asked that a million times. You must know that it is futile to even wonder such a question by now!"

Sally looked up at him with a grin, "Of course I know that. But I have my secrets as well."

"Like?"

"Like me knowing how to swim!" she exclaimed, pushing him toward the waterfall.

The hedgehog squealed, flailing his arms in a rapid attempt to not fall into the water. He quickly regained his balance, landing back on his two balanced feet. When he stood up straight, he growled, pointing a finger to her, "Don't do that!"

Sally smirked, folding her arms, "Not so funny, is it hedgehog?"

Sonic gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he sighed, looking up the river. It forked off into two directions, making Sonic nod to himself. "Which way Sally?"

Sally looked up the river, then back at Nicole. "We'll get there either way. After awhile, the sidewalks alongside the rivers will disappear, so we'll need to find some other route to get to the emerald from there."

Sonic sighed, "Okay, I can live with that. Let's—"suddenly, a series of feminine laughter filled their ears, making the two jump.

"What the heck? Who said that?" Sally asked, looking up to the ceiling in.

Sonic did the same, "You better show yourself before—ah!" Sonic exclaimed as yet another wave of water crashed into him, throwing him against the wall.

"Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, dashing to his side as he coughed and sputtered. "Are you okay?" she asked as he stood up, looking around with a glare on his countenance.

"Who did that? Whoever you are, you better—URK!" Somehow, the next wave once again only hit Sonic, despite Sally standing right next to him. Following the physical wave of water was a roar of laughter. Sally looked around, growling.

"That's no funny! Do you realize who he is? He's the—"

"The hero of Mobius, we know, we know! But he's a lame hero at that!" one of the higher pitched voices teased, followed by more giggles and snorts.

"Ha, he can't even swim!"

"What a wimp! Did you hear him when he nearly fell in? He sounded like a little girl!"

Sally growled as Sonic stood up once again, his expression even angrier than before. "Just grow up! You scum always annoyed me!" When Sonic finally saw what—or whom—had been mocking him, his eyes widened. In the water just by the waterfall sat several Mobian girls. There were cats, dogs, and even a few foxes, but there was something very odd about them. Each of them had fins! They were all—

"You Mere-Mobians cause nothing but trouble." Sally growled, interrupting Sonic's train of thought. The creatures laughed at her, making Sally grit her teeth in frustration. "You should be grateful! He's going to save the world and your ungrateful butts as well!"

The girls just laughed for a little bit longer before Sonic shook his head. "Come on Sal, they're don't care, let them be brats. Let's just go, okay?"'

Sally shook her head, sighing. "Fine. They're not worth our time anyways."

One of the Mere-Mobians called out, "Hey, let's drag her down! That would be fun!" Sonic's eyes grew wide when he heard the words. The thought of her drowning frightened him. No, it infuriated him. Without stopping to hear the rest of their conversation, Sonic grabbed Sally and dashed off down the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it ended sooner than he had anticipated, and the sidewalk soon curved off into the wall.

"Darn it," Sonic growled as Sally's feet found the floor once again.

Sally lost her balance for a second before regaining it, and she shook her head when such happened. "No plan to get to the emerald?" Sonic shook his head as he looked up the river. He couldn't see what was up ahead, as the river took a ninety degree turn off to the left. "Good, because I do!"

When Sonic turned back to ask her what it was, he was surprised to see that Sally was no longer there. For a fraction of a second he feared that the Mere-Mobians had caught up and followed through with their threat when he heard, "Hey! Up here!" The hedgehog looked up, a smile on his face.

"Your squirrel-ish instincts never cease to amaze me, Sally." He paused when she stayed silent, hanging from what appeared to be monkey bars over the river. The look he received when she glanced at him sent shivers down his spins. "Right, sorry, I keep on forgetting! Sheesh," Sonic crouched down, "I'm not perfect, I don't need to get it right every time!" he bounded upward over the river, ignoring the water for just a moment.

As his hands wrapped around the bars, Sally smirked. "Is that so?" Sonic swung around on the bar for a second as shrill voices drew nearer. "Then why do you keep telling me that you are?"

"Because I—wait, ugh!" Sally laughed at him, "Must you do that every time?"

Sally nodded as she began to swing from bar to bar, "Sonic, out-smarting you is one of my greatest pleasures in life. You must know this by now."

Sonic just laughed, "I bet it is."

A voice from below echoed, "I bet it is," in a childish—mocking voice.

Sonic just gritted his teeth and Sally rolled her eyes as the continued along the path of bars. "You guys are just rude! We just wanted to play!"

"Yeah! Don't you want to swim with us?"

Sally ignored them, "Sonic, do you find it weird that there are monkey-bars in a temple like this?"

"No, not with the company that comes with it."

The Mere-Mobians started yelling at them from below, but Sally continued anyway. "Too true. I find it odd that the male Mere-Mobians are actually the mature ones." Now, they were just trying to get them angry.

Sonic smirked, "It is odd… Hey wait—" before he could finish, a load of fifty pounds was added to his weight. The hedgehog gasped, as he had almost lost his grip on the bar. Sally growled, and when Sonic looked down, he did the same.

Sonic shook his leg, "Let go ya' pest!"

The girl gritted her teeth, her grip only becoming tighter. Sally shook her head, "This is ridiculous!" she growled, looking down, "Get lost you freaks!"

The Mere-Mobians were no longer giggling and laughing, but yelling and screaming. Most of what they said was rather rude and inappropriate for most ears, and it made Sonic grumble to himself. He wanted to cover his ears and block out their droning, but that would result in his demise. Instead, he looked at Sally.

"I'm going to try and get to the next few bars, alright?" Sally nodded and continued. Taking a deep breath in, Sonic began to swing back and forth. When he had enough momentum, he let his right arm leave the bar and reach for the next one. He nearly slipped at the girl's weight, and when another fifty pounds was added to the load, he almost yelped.

Now he was thoroughly annoyed. Gritting his teeth, he glared down at them. They did the same. "Let go!" he yelled, moving his legs back and forth as fast as possible. Growling, he looked up at Sally. "Sal, I can't—Sal!"

Now Sally was being attacked as well. She was clinging to the bars very tightly now, both her legs and arms holding her close to the ceiling. Her eyes were clamped tight, and her teeth gritted as the Mere-Mobians leapt from the water in attempt to grab hold of her as well. Sonic tried to move forward again, "Sal!" he exclaimed, reaching a hand forward, only to almost lose grip once again. And as if it was on cue, yet another Mere-Mobian had grabbed on, then another followed the example.

"Alright…" Sonic growled, his final measures of patience snapping from the weight he was supporting. "You wanted to piss me off, and you've done it." The hedgehog gritted his teeth for just a second, then yelled in his new-found fury, "CHOAS BLAST!"

The red energy was like a firework, and it threw all of the girls into the water, as well as those he had been jumping. Besides Sonic, Sally had been the only one who had avoided any harm. She looked at him, a cautious gaze on her face. "That…" she paused for a long time, and Sonic was slightly worried that he had scared her. "Was awesome." He raised his eyebrows, looking down at the girls. Like him, they were now also very mad. Sonic smirked.

"Yes, yes it was. Of course, as soon as they can swim in a straight line, they're going to make a beeline for us."

Sally smiled as she pulled her legs out from the bars. "In that case, I'll race you there!" she exclaimed, heading off before Sonic could get a word in.

Sonic followed after her, "Ha, there's no way on Mobius that you'll win!"

After several minutes of swinging down long hallways, Sonic came to the shocking realization that although he was fast, Sally was better at swinging than he was. When they reached the end of the bars, the forked river had rejoined into one, and they found something that made the hedgehog sigh in relief. The river was exiting underneath solid ground, and that filled them both with something more than relief. When Sally landed on the ground before Sonic did, he couldn't help but gasp.

He landed shortly after her, and the second he looked at her, there was no surprise that filled him. She was smirking. "Looks like you're not always the fastest."

Sonic looked ahead, "Whatever, that was just one race." Sally laughed, but the sound of angry girlish voices from behind them silenced her laughing. The exchanged one glance and nodded. He picked her up and without another word, dashed into the final stretch of the temple.

Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket, "We're almost there. Just this room and one last uphill hallway and the emerald will be ours!"

Sonic nodded, "Good, because I've seen enough water to last me a lifetime."

"Well then, I guess you'll have to deal with two lifetimes of water!" Sally yelled, looking up towards the ceiling.

Sonic didn't even have to question, because the jets of water hit him so hard that he yelped in pain. He ignored the ache though, and ran faster as Sally coughed and sputtered. And as if the temple enjoyed watching the two suffer, more jets of water came hurling at them. In an effort to avoid more vicious attacks, Sonic began his evasive maneuvers.

He zigzagged, jumped, and even flipped to avoid being shot again. In most cases he avoided the liquid, but there were some occasions where he took the attack full-forced. Despite that, he never once let it hit Sally. No matter what, he wouldn't let her get hurt.

They final hallway was growing closer, and the attempts to keep him from reaching the room the emerald was in were becoming deadlier and more desperate. The water was faster and harder, and even more of the jets were activating. At one point the hedgehog was so dizzy from his maneuvers that he almost lost his balance and fell, but with a quick chaos incantation, the nausea left. As soon as he felt the bewilderment die off, he sped up toward the hall. For a second he thought they would get there without an issue, but that would have been far too lucky.

As the distance between the hero and heroine to the hall shrunk, a sound from above the hedgehog made his heart sink. He looked up to a wall of water only a mere ten feet away. He gasped and Sally yelled in shock, but he ran forward faster, leaping into the doorway and into the hall. The water barely missed him, and without daring to look back, he sped up the steep slope.

The hallway was huge, like the rest of the temple, but that didn't give the hedgehog any confidence. He sped onward when he found himself on level ground, and as soon as he reached it, he didn't stop until they reached what appeared to be a podium used for speeches. Sonic took a deep breath in, put Sally down, and began to look around.

The room was even bigger than the last one, and that made Sonic sigh in relief. Perhaps it would be a calmer room, as it seemed as if there were no rooms for trap. There was elegant woodwork everywhere, bright colors like the waterfall room, and an aura of peace about in the room. The only factor that bothered him was the gigantic dam that stood behind a lazy river, but at the moment, it wasn't his biggest priority. Instead of thinking, Sonic sighed as he folded his arms. What a rough temple…

"Hey Sonic, come here!" Sally's voice instantly pulled him from his ornery state of mind. He walked over to her and looked down at a miniscule, clear dome, then stared at Sally. "We found the emerald, now help me open it!" Sonic glanced back at the dome, and sure enough, the blue emerald was lying within it.

Sonic nodded, kneeling down as he put his arms near the bottom of the dome. "On three," Sonic ordered as Sally put her hands in a similar position. "One, two, three!" the two pulled with all of their might, but it didn't budge. Sally sighed as they both stood up.

"Will chaos powers work?"

Sonic shook his head, "Nope, it's protected by chaos energy. But I think I know what will." He walked back over to the podium, and sighed. Unfortunately, he had been right. "A puzzle. Of course, every water temple has to have a stupid puzzle!" he growled, looking down at it. Strange symbols, colors, and many other things lay on what appeared to be a slide puzzle. Another piece lay underneath it, but it wasn't a part of the puzzle. It appeared to be something that would be touched when the puzzle finished. "Man, I wish that green hat guy from that book was here. He'd solve this no problem. But no, we're just going to have to use our minds. Whoopie." He sighed.

"That's not much to work with." Sally sighed as well.

"Oh thanks," Sonic growled, starting the puzzle despite not knowing what it was supposed to look like.

"Sonic, you know that's not what I meant." Sally put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Sonic sighed, moving the pieces around.

Sally took a deep breath in, looking around. "Let's just hope that we can get this over with soon."

Sonic did not respond, but he agreed nonetheless. The last thing he wanted to do was spend a good three hours figuring out a puzzle was sure to do incorrectly. Silently the hedgehog continued as Sally looked around. She typed a few simple commands onto Nicole, then began playing the game she had spent so long on earlier.

After a few minutes, frustration morphed into fury. What the puzzle was supposed to be was a mystery to him, as there was no example before him. Plus, he had no knowing of what the symbols were supposed to say. Anger was no longer the correct turn for how he felt. Fury was too calm to fit his mood as well. After what seemed like an eternity and a half, the hedgehog felt confident that he had finished it correctly. Now all he needed to was to see if Sally agreed with him.

"Hey Sal, come here." Sally had sat down by the wall, but leapt up as soon as she heard his voice. She walked over and looked down at the puzzle, "I think it's done. What do you think?"

She hummed for a second, putting Nicole away in her pocket. "It's looks good… expect for this part." She pointed to a spot he had spent only a few minutes on.

Sonic furrowed his brow, "No, I'm sure I did that part correctly."

Sally shook her head, then stepped into his spot. "Well, we'll just have to find out." She began to move the tiles around, and Sonic grunted in disapproval.

"Sal, that part was right! Can't you just listen to me for once?" Before long, she had rearranged it to her liking, and without even asking for permission, she slammed her fist into the button below. "Sal!"

Sonic pushed her out of the way, looking down at the puzzle. It then—to their surprise—faded away. He gaped in shock. "Sally, what did you do?"

Sally's eyes lit up as he looked at her, "I freed the emerald, that's what I did!" She rushed over to where the dome used to be, then grabbed the blue emerald. "See?"

Sonic took in a breath of relief. He had been sure she had made a mistake, but it was apparent that she hadn't. She smiled, and Sonic smiled softly back. "See," she grinned, tossing the emerald to him as she walked forward. "There was nothing to worry about!"

He nodded, catching the emerald effortlessly. "I guess not." He turned with her, putting his hands behind his head. "That means we have three emeralds now." Sally grinned and nodded as the two began to walk from the podium. "Now we just—" Sonic stopped mid-sentence. A disturbing sound from behind him made his heart stop. He turned, but he knew what it was before his eyes found it.

"Sonic, now we just what?" Sally asked, not realizing Sonic had stopped.

"Sally…dam."

Sally's head whipped back, "Sonic! Watch your language!" But what she saw made what he said make sense.

"No Sal…" the dam above them began to crack, and water began to spurt out. "The dam is breaking! We've got to move!"

Sally gasped, and without even a look, the two turned around and ran. There was the sound of breaking stone, the explosion of millions of gallons of water, and before they could reach the hallway, the water overtook them.

* * *

><p>Sonic, Sally, don't die!<p>

If you guys haven't noticed, cliff hangers are my specialty. Anyways... how many of you noticed how little I've talked about the Freedom Fighters? Who remembers what was said in the previous chapter? If I recall, it has something to do with the Freedom Fighters and a certain skunk, if you catch my drift. ;)

And now Glass Rose and Fragile are caught up, so I won't have to do my weird pattern anymore! Woo-hoo! I hope you guys look forward to the next chapter!


	13. Water You Looking At?

**Chapter 13: Water You Looking At?**

For a moment, the world stood still. The water surrounding Sally however did not. It took less than a second for Sally to become disoriented as the water threw her forward. She didn't have the chance for sufficient breath when the wave crashed, and for a moment, she went into panic mode. Her lungs screaming for air, Sally thrashed around for a moment, opening her eyes to see where she was. A moment was spent realizing she was upside-down in the water, and another moment was spent returning to a right side-up position. Without another instant, she kicked her legs and pulled herself upward.

When her head broke the surface, she inhaled a deep breath of air and coughed several times. For a second, she wondered how she was going to escape the temple when a sharp remembrance stabbed her. Where was Sonic? Terror swallowed her, and she began to twist around, then began to swim where the current wasn't as strong. The last thing she ever wanted was to lose him, and that possibility was growing closer by the second. Swallowing, she called out his name.

"Sonic! Where are you?" As she had expected, there had been no response. Shaking her head, the girl looked around. Debris of the wood-work was everywhere and the water was flowing more like a rapid river than a calm stream. That in itself scared her, but not because she couldn't swim, but because Sonic couldn't. Gritting her teeth, she looked around again. Green stone was everywhere, the clear water was everywhere, and even the wood was everywhere. The only thing that stuck out was a blue that—

Blue! Without wasting a moment to question it, Sally swam over to the hedgehog that was obviously in panic mode. For the first time since the wave hit she heard him yelp, and as he thrashed, the poor hedgehog sunk underneath the water. Sally gritted her teeth and took in a deep breath, then plunged underneath.

He was wasting precious oxygen, as it was oddly apparent that he was yelling, his eyes now closed. She didn't know what he was trying to say, but at the moment, it didn't matter. Sally moved as fast as her body would allow, growling as the hedgehog fell deeper into the blue, sending immeasurable levels of anger and frustration into her body. Why was her strongest never good enough? She shook her head and for a second, pushed herself even further.

Finally, her fingers wrapped around his wrist and his eyes shot open. The horror was enough for Sally to shoot up towards the surface. She nodded and the hedgehog grasped onto her. Although she knew that his extra weight would make it more difficult to move, she pushed and pulled the water past her as she kicked. Just as the two were about to run out of sufficient oxygen, their heads broke the surface.

Their pants were unheard because of the water rushing by, but that didn't stop Sally from swimming over to the wall. Sonic was still holding onto her by the waste, breathing so fast that he was hyper-ventilating. As soon as she reached it, Sonic seized the wall, staying so close that it looked like he was hugging it. When she took a good look at him, she realized that his pupils had dilated and he was shaking. That and his hyper-ventilating brought her to the conclusion that he was in shock.

Now wasn't the time for such a condition; they needed to get out of there! Sally glanced around once again, looking back to where the dam once was. There was no proof of it ever being there, but farther back was something far worse: another dam. And that dam was cracking as well.

"Of course!" Sally growled, Sonic looking down at her silently as he shook. "That's just perfect!" She looked around once again, swallowing. There was no way that he would be able to chaos control them out of there in his condition, but an idea suddenly struck her when she saw a large collection of broken wood. She glanced at Sonic, "Stay here," and swam off to reach it.

The current was growing stronger, but Sally did her best to reach the island of debris. Hopefully, there was a piece large enough for the task in mind. Gritting her teeth, the girl put in a final push of power into her kicks, reaching the area where the wood swirled around. Tension building up on her shoulders and legs; she began to search through the pile. Most of the pieces were nothing more than huge splinters, but several large pieces caught her attention. She spent a few precious seconds of investigating the four largest before pulling herself up onto the longest one.

She looked back at the hedgehog, glad to see he was still desperately clinging to the wall. Without even stopping to think to herself, Sally began paddling back to him. He looked up at her, still shaking. It took some extra effort to get past the current now that she was on the wood, and for a second, she thought she was going to whooshing backwards down the hallway but she overcame that as well. As soon as she was by him, she couldn't help but feel a little helpless. For the first time, she was the one in charge of saving their lives. Not Sonic.

She slid off the wood and into the water, making Sonic call out her name in hysteria. She popped back up, "Sonic, I'm okay, calm down!" His behavior was rare, and honestly, she didn't know how to deal with it. The hedgehog nodded as Sally looked back at the dam. They were quickly running out of time.

Sally observed Sonic once again, the plan now formulated in her mind. "Okay Sonic, it's time we got out of this place. I'm going to need your help." His attention was fully focused on her, and that gave Sally a shot of confidence. "Can you use your chaos powers to change this into a board?"

The shuddering hedgehog nodded and held out his hand, "Chaos form."

The wood changed underneath her fingers, morphing from the rough and splintery surface into a smooth one. Sally grinned, and looked back at him. "Do you still have all the emeralds?" Sonic nodded, and Sally nodded in response. Now it was time for the hard part.

"Okay," Sally whispered, glancing back at the dam. "We're going to surf out, and you're going to be the motor. You need to hold onto the back of the board, and I'll stand up on top and balance." His expression instantly informed her that he didn't approve of having to be in the water any more. Sally sighed, "I know you don't like the water, but we have no time Sonic! We need to—" the familiar sound of cracking stone stopped her mid-sentence. Sonic glanced back, his eyes wide.

"Fine," he finally spoke again, "if that's my only choice!" His courage was obviously back for whatever reason, for the hedgehog suddenly leapt into the water. Sally almost yelped, but the hedgehog suddenly bolted up out of the water, grasping onto the board. He looked at her, wide eyed. "Remind me never to do that again."

"Gladly. Now make sure I don't fall off as I get on, got it?" he nodded, still a little jittery. Obviously despite his bold gesture, he wasn't quite used to the water.

Sally pulled herself up onto the board, glancing back at the dam for a final time. Water was spurting out from large cracks, and that made Sally swallow. "Time to leave!" she exclaimed, glancing back at the hedgehog. He nodded up at her, then looked around. A moment was spent pushing away from the wall and into the current, and before that moment was over, an explosion of a sort filled the air. The two looked back, their eyes wide as another wave—this one even bigger than the last—flew towards them.

"GO!" Sally screamed as they began to descend down the hallway once again. The hedgehog nodded and looked ahead. He gritted his teeth and began to kick his legs as fast as he could, and the surfboard shot off like a motorboat. Sally almost fell off when it happened, but she did her best to quickly regain her balance. Soon, it became a race of life or death.

The room they had passed through earlier was just as deadly on the way in, but with the added bonus of a tsunami chasing them. As if it was on cue, the jets soon started spraying, and a serpentine pattern was activated in Sonic. They went left and right so quickly that Sally almost became dizzy, but she soon got into the groove of the motions. It soon became natural for her to lean left and right at the correct moments, and within another few moments, they found themselves in the waterways.

Through the waterway, the movements were even quicker, and Sally couldn't help but yelp every once in awhile. They went straight before making a sharp right, then a left, and another sharp right. Before they knew it, they were to the first fork in the waterways, and they almost found themselves face to face with the wall of water from the direction they hadn't taken. Before that could happen, Sonic took a sharp left and the two were sent soaring off the waterfall.

Sonic and Sally both screeched, and the water almost captured them as they descended in the air. As soon as they landed, Sonic's legs went off again and the two sped off. The wave was finally gaining on them, and as Sally realized such a thing, Sonic pushed harder. The final sprint was ahead of them, and so long as nothing went wrong, escape was inevitable!

It was as if the water had heard their thoughts, for at that moment, even the water sped up. Sally glanced back for a second, gritting her teeth. What was with this temple? Was it alive or something? The hedgehog also glanced back for a second at the wave, then looked forward and sped up yet again. There was no way he was going underwater again! Gritting his teeth, Sonic pushed harder and harder until suddenly, the water swallowed them up.

Without warning, the two were sent flying through the entrance and across the luxurious green in front of the building. They landed hundreds of feet from the temple on their stomachs, still unsure of what was happening. For a second, it was silent except for the remaining water that left the temple and the rain that was now falling. Then the two entered separate coughing fits.

Sally rose to her knees, her hands holding her up as her body shook in the momentary spasms. Sonic was doing the same until all the water had exited his lungs. It was silent again for a moment, but the sky suddenly screamed with the crack of thunder. Sally jumped and looked at the hedgehog. She stood up, a little shaky, then walked over to him.

"Sonic, are you okay?" she reached her hand forward, unsure of his condition.

His hand flew up and grabbed her wrist, making Sally's heart skip a beat. He panted and looked up at her. "No,"

Sally raised her eyebrows as the hedgehog stood up, releasing her hand in the process. She shrugged as he looked at her, his brows knit together in tire. She too was panting at the moment, but Sonic's were a little heavier. "I'm sorry. But hey, at least we're alive."

Sonic glared at her for a second before he turned away. "Sure." He started walking off, "Let's get as far away from this place as we can. I don't ever want to see this stupid temple again."

Sally nodded, following after Sonic as she pulled Nicole out of her pocket. She pressed a few buttons on her soaked device. "Three down, four to go. And look, the next one is only a few miles away!" She exclaimed, holding Nicole out for Sonic to see. When he stayed silent and didn't turn back, Sally bit her lip and put Nicole back in her pocket. "Right, sorry. But it's like I said… at least we're alive."

Sonic didn't respond for a few seconds, but he eventually sighed a frustrated, "Yeah."

Sally nodded to herself, following the hedgehog as he gritted his teeth. At the moment, the two were soaking wet and it was raining. Although one of them was happy to be alive, the other was filled with frustration with what had just happened. He had always hated water, and having gone through a water temple had not been a good experience for him. The rain didn't help his mood.

As he started to grumble to himself, a fury that had been dormant for two years woke inside him.

* * *

><p>Oh snap, what is that fury? I guess you guys will find out next time! :)<p>

Hey, the prologue is up on my profile, so check it out! :D Hopefully, it will clear some things up.

Oh, and I hope you all have a happy Halloween tomorrow! I know I will! :D


	14. Child's Play

** Chapter 14: Child's Play**

The rain was still pouring, the lighting was still striking, and the fury in Sonic was still raging. In fact, with each moment it was growing stronger and stronger. For hours he had not spoken directly to Sally, but mumbled angry words towards almost anything he could think of. Sally had not been listening, for she had been too busy on Nicole to make sure they were heading in the right direction. For some odd reason, they had been walking instead of running. If the next temple was so close, why didn't Sonic just carry her? She didn't know why, but she didn't question. Instead, she silently followed, shivering in the rain.

Sonic was gritting his teeth, clenching his fists as he walked forward. "Why did the stupid emerald have to be in a water temple? A water temple for crying out loud! Stupid emerald." He whispered, glaring at the ground. Lightning struck only a few miles away, sending an enormously loud crack through the air. Once again, Sonic growled. "Stupid lightning…"

Sally glanced up at the hedgehog, raising an eyebrow. Was he really that frustrated, to start hating inanimate objects and forces of nature? Perhaps it would have been better if she had gone into the water temple by herself. Then again, would she have been able to solo the temple? Most of the difficult sections of the temple did require speed, and she wasn't exactly in Sonic shape. Sighing, she glanced at Nicole's screen once again. The next temple was a few miles away. If they were going to walk there the entire way, it was going to take at least two hours. Maybe it was—

An uneven section of the ground suddenly left Sally with no balance. She yelped as she fell forward, crashing into Sonic. He let out an angry yell when they crashed to the ground, and Sally winced. If any time had been a bad time to crash into Sonic, it had been right then and there. Carefully, Sally stood up. "Sorry Sonic." She told him, reaching her hand out to his.

Sonic sighed and rolled his eyes, reluctantly taking her hand. "Oh no it's fine, that's only the second time you've tried to kill me today." He growled as he dusted himself off, now on his feet.

Sally's eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me princess. When I finished that puzzle you said it was wrong and you 'fixed it?' Yeah, that was it." Sonic told her as he turned around, ready to walk off.

"What the, Sonic! I wasn't trying to kill you; I just thought it was wrong! Besides, you asked me to check it!" She exclaimed, putting Nicole back into her pocket.

Sonic laughed as he turned back, "Well obviously, that didn't work out, now did it?"

Sally gritted her teeth. "I was just trying to help!"

"Well I didn't need it! And here's a news flash Sal, you're not always right!"

"For crying out loud, you _asked_ for my help! And I know I'm not always right!" She yelled, her hands now in tight fists.

"Oh really? Then why is it that every single stupid time I say something that it's instantly wrong? And why do you have to correct me every time, huh?"

"I do not correct you every time!" She growled. Her expression had turned into a glare, and she couldn't help but grit her teeth. "And why do you always have to be so reckless? Don't you ever stop to think?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sonic yelled, a crash of thunder following shortly afterward.

"Oh I don't know, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you have almost killed me about five times so far!" Sally exclaimed.

Sonic nodded, "Oh yeah, that's when I was getting totally annoyed of you and your endless nagging!"

Sally gasped in offence, "You jerk!" She yelled as the rain grew in speed. If he was going to say such things, she was going to use her hardest words. She started to dig her nails into her hands as she spoke, "Well, at least I have a brain!"

"At least I can actually run!"

"At least I don't run head first into dangerous situations like an idiot!"

"At least I don't act like a know-it-all priss who doesn't know how to have fun!"

Sally gritted her teeth, "Well at least I don't leave all my friends without even saying goodbye!"

That had definitely been the wrong thing to say, because his expression was more than just anger or annoyance now. It was pure fury. Gritting his teeth, Sonic yelled at her. "You think I wanted to leave! Do you honestly think I was happy about leaving all the Freedom Fighters? DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO LEAVE YOU?"

Sally yelled back, "THEN WHY DID YOU?"

Sonic growled and for a second, she didn't think he would answer. When he did, his words were like knives. "BECAUSE I WAS SICK AND TIRED OF YOU!"

His words literally made her fall back, stumbling on her own foot. Had he really just said that? Of course he had. She growled, gritting her teeth. Despite her best efforts to ignore the pain, his words hurt her. She knew that she had to say something, but she had no idea of what to say. After moments of silence, she yelled out the only thing she could think of. She closed her eyes and yelled as loud as her voice would permit, "YOU, ARE, AN, IDIOT!" Lightning flashed after she finished, and the thunder soon followed.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that he too had his teeth gritted with his hands in fists. He was glaring, and it didn't surprise her one bit. Why wouldn't he glare? The weather was matching the mood, as the sky was raging a terrible storm. The rain was pouring so heavily that Sally was still shivering, despite her anger. Despite the sounds around them it was silent. Slowly, they put their hands back to their sides and weakened their glares. They averted each other's gazes, not knowing what else to say. What was there to say? At that moment, any other words would have only deepened the pain.

It seemed like an eternity before the silence was broken. Sally sighed, glaring at the grass by Sonic. "I have an idea. Let's not talk to each other for as long as possible."

Sonic was quiet for a second. "For once Sal, you have a good idea." He told her, his voice filled with pure spite.

It was dead silent for a moment, but a strike of lightning soon changed it once again. Without a thought of the storm, Sally took Nicole out of her pocket. She turned on the map and observed it for a few moments before walking off. The hedgehog followed her, not bothering to say anything. In that moment, it seemed as if the two would never speak again. Although their glares were long gone, their frustrated gazes were still present on their faces.

They walked for a long time. The wind eventually picked up, and it only made Sally shiver more. She wondered for a moment if Sonic was shivering, but she quickly remembered that she wasn't going to talk to him. It made her feel a little lonely, but she continued on anyways. Despite the rain, the lighting, and the thunder around them, the two continued onward.

After a mile or so, it became apparent that they were too tired to even reach the next temple. Instead, Sally began to look around for some sort of a shelter. She knew that there were no towns nearby, so she looked for anything like a large rock, or something remotely warm. Of course, with her hair in the way and the rain everywhere, the possibility of her sighting something like that was not very likely. Wordlessly, she wondered if Sonic was going to find something.

It was as if he had read her mind because that next second, Sonic walked ahead of her. She followed, doing her best stay silent despite the cold. For a moment, she thought that he was leading her off to some random tree, but soon she saw the one thing she had been hoping for. Somehow, there was a cave hidden in the surroundings of grass and trees, lying next to a small pond. The hedgehog went on, and Sally followed. Before she knew it, they were standing in the cave, shivering and soaking wet.

Sonic stepped in first, then shook his body like a wet dog. Sally entered the cave to the unpleasant surprise of being hit with the water, bringing even more frustration into her heart. She squealed, and when she glared at him, he glared right back. They held the stare for what seemed like forever. Finally, Sonic turned away and walked as deep into to the cave as he could and sat down on a small ledge. He put his elbows and his knees and was silent.

Sally growled and folded her arms, sitting down as she glared at the entrance. The wind was still howling and the rain was still pouring. Although it seemed like it was a powerful storm, she was sure that it wasn't going to last for long. At least… she thought so. Did she? For some reason, she starting second guessing herself. Shaking her head, she took Nicole out.

She typed in some commands; opening an app Rotor had created. For a moment the machine did nothing, and then it did a silent prediction on the storm's duration. As she had first thought, it was only going to last for a few more hours. Then it would be clear skies until the next one came in. She raised her eyebrows. Another storm? What was that about? She shrugged, putting the little computer back into her pocket. Sighing, she glanced back at Sonic.

He was still in the same position, probably glaring at the wall. Sally bit her lip, then turned back. She didn't want to fight to with Sonic. That had been the last thing she had wanted. After everything that happened before he had rescued her, the last thing she wanted was to be alone again. The raid on Knothole, Nicole's memory being erased, the fire… so much had happened. She had thought for sure that she would have been alone, but Sonic had been there for her afterward when he rescued her. But now…

Suddenly, she realized how much it hurt. The loneliness without Bunnie, Rotor, Antoine, Nicole, or the other Freedom Fighters returned. The shock of Knothole being destroyed was remembered. And when she remembered how Sonic had fixed Knothole, the hedgehog himself entered her thoughts. Then the pain of their fight filled her. The pain of _both_ of their fights had filled her. First she remembered the fight that had happened a few minutes ago, then the one that happened over two years ago.

As the image of the moment when she slapped his face entered her mind, she broke into tears. She had been so stupid! It had been her own dumb choices that had left him to leave her for so long. If she hadn't put him on the spot and asked him that question, none of those horrible things that had happened would have actually occurred. And now, she was sure she was going to lose him again. She didn't want to lose him again, not for a third time! The year in space had been bad enough, and the distance of more than two years had been even worse, but to go through that again? There was no way she could have handled it.

Sally buried her face in her hands, sobbing. She loved him so much. That moment when she had seen him on the tree had been the best thing that had happened to her since who knew when. She had been reunited with her hero, and she had thought that all would have been well. But of course, it hadn't, and it wasn't going to be. He was for sure going to leave her. She continued to cry, making Sonic's ears twitch.

The hedgehog turned around, raising his eyebrows. She was crying? A pang of guilt filled his heart as he heard her sob. He didn't mean to… he didn't want her to… The hedgehog swallowed, turning back. That had been the last thing he had wanted to do. Although she hadn't told him what, he knew that something bad had happened to her before he had saved her from the fire. She had been in so much pain, and all she had needed was a friend. Now, he had acted like a complete jerk and said those things.

Sonic put his hand on his head, gritting his teeth. What an idiot! Why had he said that he left because he was sick of her? The hedgehog shook his head, then glared at the back wall. Why hadn't he thought before he had spoken? Now she was crying and it was his fault. He desperately wished to apologize to her, or at least talk to her, but what was there to say? Sonic didn't know, and as he glanced back at her again, pain filled him. Although he had promised himself that he wouldn't admit it, he cared for her. He cared for her so much, but it seemed that all he could do was hurt her.

Biting his lip, the hedgehog put his elbows back on his knees. He let his hands rest on his chin, and he silently thought about what was to be done. They had three emeralds and the next one was only a few miles away. Would they be able to retrieve the next one in their condition? The pain from two and a half years ago fresh in his heart, the hedgehog looked down at the ground. How much he desperately wished that he could take back those words he had said. If there was any way at all, he would have erased them from existence, and replaced them with much kinder and calm words. With words of how he really felt.

Did a heart have to be so fragile?

* * *

><p>Oh no! D: How sad! Sadly, Sonic did take his anger out and Sally. What's going to happen next?<p>

If I had more free time, I would be able to upload so much faster. But alas, homework is what holds me back... oh well! I hope you guys liked it! :) Or didn't. Review please!


	15. What You Mean

** Chapter 15: What You Mean**

For a moment, it felt like she was falling. It seemed as if sleep was going to finally take her, but suddenly, an earth shattering sound made her jump, sending a shot of adrenaline into her body. Her eyes shot open, and she found herself staring at a wall of stone. She swallowed and adjusted her position, and when she found that she was uncomfortable, she sat up. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but the familiar patter of rain reminded her. Sally sighed, rubbing her head. When she remembered, she desperately wished she hadn't.

Silently, Sally glanced forward to the entrance. The rain was no more than a light trickle now, and the lightning had stopped long ago. The thunder had stopped as well, which had been quite lucky for Sally. She had been having a difficult time going to sleep, and when silence fell, Sally had been sure that she was going to earn a good-night's sleep. Unfortunately, she had been dead wrong. Although she had been able to fall asleep for a few precious minutes, her dreams had been haunted by nightmares that terrified only her.

It was the same as her worst case scenario day-dreams she had so often. She stood there sobbing as she held onto Sonic, pleading for him to say something; anything to her. An insult would have sufficed, but the hedgehog refused every time she begged. He simply stood there, looking away as she hugged him from behind. At one point he put his hand on his side, but that had been the only sign of liveliness that he had displayed in the dream. It really shouldn't have, but the dream horrified her. Sighing, Sally turned around towards the back wall of the cave.

Now that she was conscious, the dream was no longer so frightening, but even awareness didn't hide the fact that there was reality in her fear. She knew exactly where that fear had originated. In fact, she hadn't even felt any surprise that the nightmare had occurred. With a fight that big, it was only routine for such images to take over. It had happened once before, over two years ago. Silently, Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket as she pondered to herself.

The time read as eleven twenty-two on Nicole's screen. Sally nodded to herself, looking back at the hedgehog for the first time in hours. Those nightmares of his rejection had haunted her shortly after he had left the Freedom Fighters, but for some reason, they were scarier the second time around. Why? She knew exactly why. This time, she was aware of how possible for it to actually happen. This time, she knew what it felt like, and she didn't want to go back. Sighing, Sally put Nicole back into her pocket and stood up.

After being awake for awhile, she had been able to calm down. Although she was still saddened from the fight, she was able to think clearly without too much trouble. As she walked over, she couldn't help but wonder: what had gone on in Sonic's mind when they fought? Was he furious at her, or was he guilt ridden from his words? Sally shook her head. She didn't know, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. When she reached the end of the cave, Sally sat down next to the sleeping hedgehog.

He was curled up, sound asleep, and to Sally's surprise, he was snoring. "Ah," she whispered, putting her hand on his head. "So you're what woke me up." She smiled to herself as she stroked his quills. He was a deep sleeper, so for the moment, there was no reason for her to be overly-cautious. And as if it was on cue, Sonic snored the next moment. Sally chuckled, shaking her head. Although she knew that he snored, she didn't know that he was so loud. Despite them being so loud, she had to be honest. She enjoyed hearing those snores. At least when he was asleep, he didn't fight with her or yell.

They hadn't even talked when they were eating, and even if they had, it would have been awkward beyond belief. Sighing, Sally, looked out towards the front of the cave yet again. She didn't want that awkwardness. She didn't _need _it either. Yet when she thought of it, she had no idea of what she could do to be rid of it. Growling, Sally looked back at Sonic. What was there to be done? She had to apologize, but how was she going to do it? At the moment, she didn't even have the confidence to imagine apologizing to him. Not knowing what else to do, Sally began to poke Sonic's ears as she thought.

She wanted it to be heart-felt and special. Would simple words be enough? No, there had to be something better. Sally furrowed her brow, smiling only when one of Sonic's poked ears twitched. She was positive that if she brain-stormed for a long enough time, she could come up with something.

After a few minutes with no results, Sally took Nicole out of her pocket. She turned on the map, examining where the other four emeralds were. There was the closest one that was only a few miles away, and that instantly caught her eye. What was that temple going to be like? Small and complex, or long and simple? She shrugged to herself, then glanced at the other temples. There were three temples that followed that one, including one in the southern continent's mountainous region. Sally raised an eyebrow and nodded to herself. For the first time since the journey began, she realized how much she had accomplished. Although they were only halfway done, it felt as if she was on top of the world. The realization made her smile.

To make the situation even sweeter, the perfect plan suddenly formed in her mind. Of course! She'd go get the next emerald herself! Yes it would be dangerous, and of course she was tired, but the reward out-weighed the risk to Sally. The image of Sonic's surprise of finding that she had retrieved the next emerald by herself pleased Sally. She smiled and stood up, glancing down at the hedgehog briefly. Yes, it would work for sure! Sally nodded, then walked towards the entrance.

Before she could reach the entrance, the reminder of her tire hit her with a wave of pure exhaustion. She stopped walking, looking down at the ground as she yawned. Was she seriously going to have to brave a temple by herself after already going through one that same day? Although her mind was made up, her body refused to comply. She knew that she needed to rest, but she desperately wanted to retrieve the fourth emerald. What was she to do?

Suddenly, the idea struck her. Yes! Without a moment to spare, Sally began rapidly typing commands onto Nicole. "Let's see… access chaos emeralds. Retrieve fake emerald and use real emeralds as energy source." The fake emerald appeared before her, and she wordlessly caught it before she continued. "Access nano-bot technology. Create eight hour energy vitamin, and confirm." The computer in her hand went to work after the command had been taken, leaving Sally with a silent smile. Yes, her plan was sure to work.

After a few precious seconds had passed, a small and brightly colored vitamin appeared; similar to how the fake emerald had appeared. She snatched it right out of the air, then continued towards the entrance. It was still sprinkling soft droplets of rain, leaving the atmosphere with a beautiful peace. Sally smiled and walked over to the pond she had seen earlier, looking around at her surroundings before reaching the body of water.

The water was clear and clean, leaving Sally to nod to herself. She knelt down by the water and tossed the vitamin into her mouth. Cupping her hands together, she dipped them into the water, then brought the liquid to her lips. The cool water washed the vitamin down; also leaving her feeling refreshed and ready for what was to come. Sally glanced at the pond once again before walking back to the cave.

As soon as she stepped into the shelter, she was busy typing on Nicole. For a moment she struggled to find the right words to type. When she found them, she wrote them out as quickly as possible and printed the note with the nano-bots again. Before her appeared a single sheet of paper, harboring a few carefully selected words. Sally grabbed it, then read over it one last time. She nodded in approval, then walked over to the hedgehog once again.

Smiling softly, she knelt down beside him. He was still sleeping without a sign of consciousness in sight. She stroked his quills once again, placing the note next to him. "I'll be back," Sally whispered, leaning down carefully. "I love you." She whispered under her breath before quietly kissing his forehead. His ears twitched slightly, making Sally grin. For a moment she gazed down at her hero, and then stood up. With that, she turned around and walked off. She could feel the vitamin begin to take effect, and just as she was about to run off, something froze her in her place.

"Sal?" She stopped, and her heart skipped a beat. He was awake? Had he heard what she had whispered? Sally turned to Sonic, surprised to see that he was still on the ground.

When she realized that he was half asleep, she smiled, her heart settling down at the same time. "I'm going to go take a walk. I won't be gone long."

Sonic raised his eyebrows, then yawned and closed his eyes again. "All righty. See ya later…" and within a few moments, he was snoring again.

Sally smirked, then shook her head. Not only did he run faster than anyone she knew; he fell asleep faster than anyone she knew. The grin still present on her face, Sally looked forward to the outside world. There was one way she wanted to travel in, and as the driving force filled her, she couldn't help but smile. Without another word, she ran off. The image of Sonic smiling filled her mind and heart, making her grin as well. For some reason, confidence was taking over her.

"I can do this." She whispered to herself, "I can do this no problem." And with that, she continued into the night.

* * *

><p>Was it curiosity, or was it the spirit of competition that was driving Dr. Eggman to pull his next stunt? He himself didn't know, but he knew that there was no way undoing his decision. Although he had promised himself he wouldn't interfere, he was preparing an army of egg-bots to be sent to Mobius. Maybe it was to test the hedgehog, or to view how strong he was. Shaking his head, the Doctor simply continued typing in the commands.<p>

The thought of challenging Sonic was always a pleasant activity, and as soon as it had entered his mind, Dr. Eggman couldn't pass up the opportunity. And now that the hedgehog had three of the emeralds, there was no better time to see what he was up to. Wordlessly, he entered the final command, releasing several rockets from the robot. Within hours, the robots aboard would occupy Mobius and be fighting Sonic.

Sighing, Dr. Eggman sat back in his chair. There were eighteen days until his plan would go into full force. Eighteen days for Sonic and the princess to gather the emeralds. And most importantly, eighteen days until Mobius watched Sonic the hedgehog fall. The doctor smiled, then nodded to himself. If only there was someone as diabolical as him to share his victory with. Someone who he didn't totally loathe and detest…

As soon as the idea entered his consciousness, he smiled maliciously. It had been a long time since had tortured _him_. Dr. Eggman smiled, then pressed a button on his chair. "Computer, locate and contact Snively Robotnik."

"Yes doctor." And the computer began to search. Smiling, Dr. Eggman chuckled to himself. This was going to be fun.

* * *

><p>A shorter less angsty chapter. :) You go Sally! And it looks like Eggman has some more tricks up his sleeve... what is going to happen?<p>

Anyways, thanks for all the reviews you guys! Really appreciate them!


	16. Enter: The Dark Temple

** Chapter 16: Enter: The Dark Temple**

Her energy never ceased as she ran, and at the moment, she didn't feel a hint of fear. Her heart was pumping, the adrenaline was flowing, and her confidence was brimming. For the first time in who knew how long, Sally was sure that she was going to succeed. Of course, there was the possibility that it was just the vitamin giving her the new found optimism, but at the moment she really didn't care. Either way, she was excited and ready for what was to come.

Speaking of which, where was the next temple? Was she heading in the right direction? Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket, glancing at the map. Yes, she had not strayed from the path. Sally nodded to herself, glancing at the time. Twelve o' six. She was making good time. By keeping her gradual pace, she had reached the next temple within less than an hour. For most people, her time was admirable. Compared to Sonic's speed however, it had felt like an eternity.

"Heh," Sally thought, "he was right. I am getting better at running." The words made Sally smile. When it came to running, Sonic knew what he was talking about, even if that was the only thing. Of course, after his training with Shadow, he couldn't exactly be considered "dim" anymore. Sally had to admit it; his intellect amazed her. It had surprised her when he understood complex explanations having to do with electronics, and she had been shocked when he often knew how to fix them. Whatever Shadow had taught him had obviously stuck, because Sonic was much smarter than he used to be.

Sally smirked to herself then finally looked ahead for the first time. She nearly jumped when her focus reached the temple, as it was much closer than she had anticipated. Plus, the temple itself looked a little menacing. Beneath the cloudy sky, it appeared as if it was the entrance to Hades itself. The appearance of the temple before her was created with dark deathly colors, sharp pieces of the structure that protruded sharply from the walls and roof, and an unusual rot that littered everything in sight.

For a moment, Sally contemplated on whether it would have been better to wait for Sonic to wake up. Was she going to be able to go through such a terrifying place by herself? She turned her head to examine her surroundings, raising her eyebrows in the process. The foliage itself seemed to be seething with evil, as well as a noise that resonated from the trees. Yes, she would have preferred Sonic to be there, but she knew that waiting wasn't an option.

Sally sighed, gathering the courage in her body. "I can do this." She told herself again. "I can retrieve the emerald." It seemed as if the pep talk had worked, for Sally suddenly found herself smiling. Yes, she knew she was more than capable to accomplish the task.

Within a few moments, she found herself at the entrance. Sally swallowed as she looked up to the towering structure. "Sure is big." She whispered to herself as she walked down the pathway she had discovered. Sally looked at Nicole's screen and nodded, "Really big." She sighed and walked up the stairs. It was similar to the water temple in structure, but it was slightly larger.

"Makes sense." Sally whispered as she reached the door. "They are close, so the…" she paused. Was that writing she saw on the door? No way. Not here too! She scrunched her eyes, examining the words on the door. Surly enough, there was another rhyme. What was going on with those rhymes? Maybe Sonic had been right about something going on with the rhymes and the temples.

"The scars in here are not of skin, but those that lie deep within." She read, raising her eyebrows. What did that mean? What, was she going to PMS and be moody inside the temple? She shook her head. Now was no time to dwell and ponder, even if her thoughts were silly and childish. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, then began to push on the door.

Holy cow, the door was heavy! Growling, Sally put her entire weight into moving the door. If she wasn't even going to be able to open the door, then it was going to be one long temple indeed. Luckily for her, the door began to slide open inch by inch. "Okay Sally girl, a little bit at a time." She whispered.

Eventually there was enough room for Sally to squeeze through. Without a moment to ponder her situation, Sally forced herself into the room. When she was inside, she found herself squinting. Of course she was squinting; it was supposed to be a dark themed temple. Sally sighed and shook her head as she pressed a few buttons on Nicole. Whatever the temple was going to be like, she knew that she couldn't back down.

"Let's see…" Sally whispered, "It's not going to be as difficult to get to the emerald as it was in the water temple. It's in the center this time." She paused. Why was she saying everything out loud? Oh yes, because she was used to explaining everything to Sonic. She sighed and shook her head as she put Nicole back. If she kept on thinking about Sonic like she was, she was going to lose it.

With that in mind, Sally looked ahead. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark of the room and she could finally see the hallway before her. It seemed as if it stretched on forever. Sally sighed and shook her head. Did all of the temples have to be so… what was the word? Irritating?

"Oh well…" Sally sighed as she began to walk forward, "It could be worse."

"I couldn't agree more my dear." A slippery voice told her.

Sally jumped. Had Sonic woken up and caught up with her? When she turned around and saw where the voice had originated, her heart skipped a beat. She screeched, throwing her arms in front of her face in a protective stance. The creature laughed at her. Just as she was about to run off, it spoke again.

"Foolish girl, I'm not going to attack you." Sally slowly put her arms down, taking a better look at the creature. When she examined it closely, it didn't look that scary. In fact, in almost looked like a child's toy. The chubby creature had two round eyes that were staring off in separate directions, as well as a row of razor sharp teeth. Its short arms were adorned with three claws, and a wispy fin stood where its legs should have been. To her surprise however, the creature had a tail that ended in the shape of a bloodied axe. Okay, so it looked like a demented child's toy.

Sally bit her lip, "You're… not?"

He laughed, "Of course not! I am merely the guardian of this temple. The other creatures here however… they're not as forgiving as I am."

Was the creature to be trusted? Sally sighed as she relaxed her position. At the moment she had no other choice. "Um… do you usually attack people who come here?"

"Only if they come here with selfish desires. I can sense that your reasons are not for your own gain." So he could sense her feelings and read her thoughts? "Of course I can!" Sally jumped. "I can do much more than that, but I don't believe that you have time to stay and chat. I suggest that move along and collect the gem you are seeking."

Sally gazed upon the ghostly being for another moment before nodding. "Right. Um, thanks." Sally whispered as she began to walk down the hall again. Strange… she hadn't been confronted by ghosts in any of the other temples…

"Oh, and a word of advice dear." She stopped and glanced back at the ghost. "This place will turn you into your own enemy. Do your best not to stray from your path."

Although the creature was strange, Sally had an odd feeling to follow what he was suggesting. She nodded to him and he nodded back at her in approval. They stared for a few more moments before Sally turned and continued her trek to the emerald. Then after a few moments, she broke into a run. Something about his advice frightened her. No, it didn't affect her at all. Did it? She growled as she sped up. "Just keep going," Sally thought, "don't look back."

After a few minutes of running, Sally dashed through a doorway into a small room. The room was unusual when compared to the bleak hallway, as it was plastered with mirrors. The walls, the ceiling, even the door and wall on the other side of the room were covered with the reflective objects. It made her pause to gander at her reflection. Her hair was messed up, there were bags underneath her eyes, and she had an ornery expression. "Yikes," she whispered as she stepped toward the mirror on the opposite side of the room. "I need some sleep."

She gawked at her reflection for a minute or two and shook her head. It was silly to her. Mirrors in a place like this? Seriously? Just as she was about to grab the doorknob and continue onward, something caught her eye. Was that—? She stepped closer and examined what appeared to be words on the mirror.

"Easy ones first, last ones are worst. Wait… what?" When she adjusted her vision so she could look back at her reflection, she shrieked and stumbled back. Peering back at her was a pair of yellow eyes on a shadowed version of her own body. What kind of a mirror was that? Just as she was sure that it couldn't get any weirder, the image had to prove her wrong. The Shadow Sally took a step forward from the mirror onto the ground and gazed at her for a moment. Sally was breathless as it continued to walk towards her.

Sally backed up and looked around. To her shock, two more Shadow Sallys were walking from the mirrors on the other walls. Oh of course! Sally shook her head and turned around, then dashed towards the entrance. She heard the sound of something landing on the ground, reassuring her that she was in a bad situation. Just as she was to run through the doorway, the entrance closed and she found herself staring at another mirror. Soon, a fifth Shadow stepped out of the mirror.

Great, now she was surrounded! She glared at the creatures and gritted her teeth. What was she to do? Who was to say what the creatures were like? Before she could think of anything to do, one of the shadows leapt at her.

She avoided the assault, but she was suddenly grabbed by one of the other creatures. "Hey, let go of me you creep!" Sally exclaimed before pulling her arm away. The others tried to grab onto her, but she pushed them aside before they could. When she ran off, they followed.

"Dang it," Sally whispered, "no where to run!" She turned aroun, then fell to the floor in an attempt to avoid another leaping shadow. Another one ran at her full speed, diving in an attempt to capture her. Not knowing what else to do, Sally rolled off the left. To her surprise, the maneuver worked. Were the creatures supposed to be that weak?

Sally stood up and threw her arm up to catch one of the shadow's attacks. She twisted the creature's arm around and threw it onto the ground, raising her eyebrows when the creature faded away. Just because they looked like her didn't mean that they were as strong as her. With that thought in mind, Sally turned to the nearest creature and punched it in the face. The creature disappeared like the previous one had.

After that one disappeared, the third creature attacked. It grabbed onto her, and the others soon joined in on the attack. She growled as they scratched at her body, "You stupid fakers!" She almost chuckled when she realized that she had sounded like Sonic, but refrained from the action. Instead, she stood up straight. One of the creatures that was riding piggy-back style had the unfortunate demise of being crushed against one of the mirrors, and another was kicked squarely in the chest. It too faded, leaving only one shadow.

The final shadow only lasted for a few seconds. Within a few moments, the creature had been punched so hard that it had burst into an abundance of shadows that faded before it hit the ground. Sally growled as she glared at where it had stood, wiping away a stream of blood that dripped from one of her new found scratches. "Idiotic…" she whispered, glancing around the room. There were no more shadows, and her reflection was regular once again. Sally sighed and nodded, then walked to the other side of the room. Luckily, the door opened.

Through the doorway was yet another hallway. She used the passage as a time to catch her breath, walking slowly as she glanced around at the walls. "Good… no mirrors." She whispered, shaking her head in the process. The ghost had been right when he said that the temple would turn her "own enemy." Of course, she had been skeptical on what he had meant, but now she knew that he wasn't to be doubted. "I guess dead things are smart…" Sally whispered as she ran her hand against the wall.

At the moment, her mind was racing. What would it have been like if Sonic would have accompanied her in that room? There would have been ten shadow creatures, right? That would have been insane. The image of five Shadow Sonics appeared in Sally's mind, making her chuckle. Now that would have been entertaining.

Had Sonic been there, would the battle have lasted for a shorter amount of time? Sonic didn't try to analyze and strategize, he always dove straight in. If he had been there, he would have attacked the creatures without stopping to explain. It would have only taken a few seconds if he would have helped. Maybe—Sally stopped her train of thought and shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about Sonic. All she had to do was concentrate on the goal at hand.

After a half an hour of walking she found herself walking through another doorway. As soon as she stepped through, she was met with yet another surprise. More mirrors. This time however, there were only three. There was one on the ceiling yet again, one on the wall before her, and one on the wall behind her. Sally bit her lip as she walked forward toward the door opposing her. "Oh please," she whispered as she reached her hand to the doorknob. "Don't let there be—"

Her darkened reflection suddenly grabbed onto wrist. "Of course!" Sally exclaimed. The new shadow stepped from the mirror, and Sally heard the door slam behind her. Soon, the other two shadows accompanied their sister. Sally gritted her teeth. "Do you all of you have to look exactly the—" The first shadow threw her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her. "Okay, so you're stronger than the last ones, big deal!"

If the creatures could have smiled, Sally was sure they would have. One of the shadows kicked Sally in the stomach, making Sally yelp in pain. Okay, they were a lot stronger than the last ones. Sally gritted her teeth as she glared up at the monsters. "You want to play rough? Fine!" She swept her leg across the floor, bringing the shadows to the ground. As they tried to grasp what had happened, Sally shot up off the ground, clutching her aching stomach.

Without even considering another option, Sally swung her foot forward as hard as she could. Although the creature didn't fade, she could tell that it was injured. It crumpled up from the pain, but before she could attack again, one of the creatures lunged at her. She was thrown to the floor, and soon, the other uninjured shadow joined the attack. Sally gritted her teeth. What was she going to do?

An idea formed in her mind at that moment. All she needed was the perfect… ah ha! As one of the creature's arms attempted to wrap itself around her neck, Sally bit onto it. With one strong tug, she ripped the arm off the creature. It did not squeal, but it scrambled off her. With only one shadow holding her down, Sally stood up, pushing the remaining creature off of her. It stumbled back, but once it regained its balance it charged at her again.

She stepped out of the way just in time to avoid its attack, but she was able to grab onto the wrist of the shadow. Its momentum pulled the shadow off its feet, and it allowed Sally to swing it around. As she had been hoping, it was not as heavy as it had appeared. Sally gritted her teeth and looked up at the creature that was charging at her. With one strong throw, the creature crashed into its sister. The force resulted in both of them collapsing to the ground, and before they could get back up, the third one joined them from a similar move.

As the three shadows tried to comprehend what had happened, Sally took the initiative and charged at them. They looked up for just a moment to watch her body-slam them and within a few moments they ceased to exist. Just as easily as they had appeared, the three artificial Sallys had faded. For a few minutes after they had gone, Sally laid on the floor to catch her breath. At that moment, she felt more tired than she had at any other moment in her life.

Traveling through one of the temples was hard enough, but to solo the temple was another thing. She had been used to relying on Sonic's strength and speed to get her through each temple. Never once had their fate relied on what she needed to do. When she had been in trouble, Sonic had been there to fight off the enemy. The newest temple was nothing like that. Everything was so difficult by herself. She was tired, sore, and ready to call it quits, and she hadn't even found the emerald.

Sally sighed and sat up as she glanced around, pulling Nicole out of her pocket in the process. When the map was pulled up, she sighed and nodded. All that was left was another hallway, one more room similar to the room she was in, and another hallway after that. Then, she'd finally reach the chaos emerald. It seemed like a lot, but she wasn't n the spot to complain. She glanced at the time; one o' nine, then stood up and put her computer away before turning to the mirrored door.

"Just a little more." Sally whispered as she walked forward and opened the door. Before her stretched another hallway, just as intimidating as the previous ones had been. Her ears fell and she sighed. "Okay, a lot more." She shook her head and walked forward.

As she walked down the passage, her thoughts ran abundant. They picked at every sentence and question in her mind until one stuck out to her. What were the Freedom Fighters doing? They probably weren't doing anything. After what had happened a few weeks ago, she would have surprised if they were still alive. She could still see everything so clearly in her memories… the devastation and carnage. How was she have supposed to known that Geoffery would have betrayed the Freedom Fighters so easily? She should have listened to Bunnie.

Sally shook her head. Why was she bothering herself with such thoughts? If there was ever a bad time to be negative, it was now. "Just don't worry about it," She thought. "Once we defeat Eggman, we'll be free to rescue the Freedom Fighters. Then everything will be okay." Again, the word we filled her mind.

When she realized it, Sally stopped walking. The frustration she was feeling was so strong at the moment that she would have rather hit her head against the wall instead of dealing with the stress. Not only was she at bad terms with Sonic, but she didn't have anyone to confide in. Nicole's memory was gone, Bunnie was _literally_ gone, and she didn't have the means to talk to any other person she trusted. Why was—

"Ugh! Stop it Sally!" She told herself. Negative thoughts were going to get her nowhere. Although she knew that, she found it hard to be positive with all of the crap she was dealing with. "Try and be positive." Sally thought as she continued forward. Of course, there were good things to come as well, such as what Sonic would do when Sally would come back with the emerald. She smiled at the image. Yes, he was going to like that.

The third hallway was the longest of the three hallways she had been down. It had taken her a full forty-five minutes to reach the next room. When she finally opened the door, she felt no surprise at what she saw. She stepped through the doorway, gazing at the final mirror before her. Sally sighed as she continued toward it, preparing herself for the worst. First there were five weak shadows, than three medium strength Shadow Sallys, so that meant that the last one was going to be the strongest.

Sally sighed as she moved towards it. "Look, I know you're there, why don't you just come out here so we can finish this quickly." Her reflection did nothing and she only raised her eyebrows. It had to be there, right? She walked forward and put her hand on the glass. Was it messing with her? Sally shook her head then gazed upon her appearance. Yes, as soon as she was done with the temple, she was going to take a long nap.

The vitamin hadn't begun to wear off, but she was tired nonetheless. The deep bags under her eyes were a testament of that and more. "Sheesh… Maybe I should wear some eye shadow or something." Sally whispered as she examined her own eyes yet again. Perhaps—

Suddenly, her reflection lunged at her and threw her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her. Her head hit the stone floor hard, and an explosion of pain quickly followed. Oh, that was lovely. "I don't know why I tried asking you to come out." Sally growled as the shadow held her against the floor. "Well… no point in analyzing my mistakes." She gritted her teeth and pulled her legs up, then kicked the shadow as hard as possible. Like the former shadows, it was light and easily was sent flying.

Unlike the others, however, it knew what it was doing. It landed on its two feet with ease, making Sally growl. She kicked her legs forward again, resulting in Sally landing on her feet as well. Just the aura of the final shadow was different from its sisters. The one standing before her was legitimately skilled. If she wasn't careful, there was a chance that Sally wasn't going to win.

She gritted her teeth and brought her hands up in the form of fists. "Let's get this over with." The creature did nothing to acknowledge her words. Instead, it charged at her. Not knowing if there was any other option, Sally ran at the shadow as well.

The shadow attacked first with a kick that, to Sally's surprise, landed with ease. Its blow sent Sally reeling, gasping at the impact. She didn't dwell on the reaction however, but instead quickly found her footing. Sally shook her head and ran forward again. She threw her fist forward, but the creature dodged the attack. If the creature could have, Sally was sure that it would have smiled at her failure to hit it.

A growl resonated from her throat as she continued to throw punches. No matter how hard or fast it was the creature avoided every single attack. Even when she was sure that she was going to actually stand a chance, the Shadow Sally found a way to evade the assault. Sometimes it would step to the side, other times it blocked the attack. No matter what tactic it used, however, it was successful in its defense.

Sally gritted her teeth, swinging her arm forward toward its head. The shadow ducked and when it stood up, it punched her in the chin. She grunted and fell back onto the floor, and before she could get up, the creature kicked her in the side. A yelp escaped past her lips as the pain set in. She glared up at the shadow and just as it was to try and kick her again, Sally slide her leg to trip the creature.

The shadow leapt back for some reason when she tried to make it fall. Although it did irritate her, Sally didn't mind too much. She used the opportunity to stand up and analyze her situation. Or at least, it gave her a chance to _try _to figure out what to do. Within a few seconds, the creature had charged at her again and began to attack.

The creature threw its fist at her again and again, and each time Sally dodged the attack. It attempted to punch her square in the teeth, but Sally quickly ducked before it had a chance. After that, it brought its fist forward in an attempt to hit her in the chest. Instead of dodging, Sally grabbed the fist and twisted the creature's arm around. She gritted her teeth and gathered her energy, "How about this!" and kicked the shadow as hard as she could.

It flew off and skidded on the ground for a few seconds before it did an oddly placed flip. Sally raised her eyebrows as it landed on its feet. Then, it did something Sally hadn't expected at all. When it brought its arm up, the left hand's fingernails grew into long claws. Sharp claws. Sally gapped and took a step back, but her action didn't matter.

The shadow flew at her and as soon as it was in range, it swiped its claws at Sally. She pulled her arms up to defend her face, but it didn't make much of a difference. Its claws slashed across her arm, and soon after, dug into her left leg. She yelped from the pain, but the creature wasn't finished. Soon after, it kicked her square in the chest. She was sent stumbling back and soon after, another kick brought her to the ground.

There wasn't a moment for Sally to stand up, for the creature took the opportunity to kick her once again. This time, it was her back that was assaulted. She cried out from the pain, and she found tears begin to fill her eyes. She was in so much pain, but the shadow was not finished. Just as she thought that it was all over, the creature grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head up. With one vicious shove, it threw Sally's head down on the stone.

She didn't have time to yelp as the pain hit her. Sally wanted to scream and she wanted to cry, but she didn't have the breath to fulfill even that. Her eyes were over-flowing with tears, and slowly, they were closing. Soon it would all be over. If only that stupid mirror hadn't been there…

That was it! A jolt of energy shot through her veins as the new goal was born. Sally gritted her teeth as she pushed herself up. She wasn't going to quit, especially when she was so close to the emerald. The shadow attempted to throw her back down, but Sally refused. Instead, Sally shot up from the shadow's grip and turned to it. She kicked it in the stomach and as soon as it landed on the ground, she turned to the mirror.

Within a few moments of reaching the glass, Sally heard the shadow's footsteps once again. She turned to watch it charge at her for what seemed like the millionth time, and for some reason Sally smiled. It leapt at her again, but that time, she took a speedy side-step to the left. The shadow crashed into the mirror face first, making Sally's smile widen.

The creature held its head for a brief second, but it had been a second too long. By the time it had finished brooding over its pain; Sally already had the victory in sight. She pulled her fist back and with one strong punch, sent a large crack up and down the mirror. The shadow fell back from the apparent pain, squirming as Sally punched the mirror again. Another crack accompanied the first one and another soon littered the mirror after that one. Finally after several punches, Sally pulled her arm back and yelled, "Say goodbye!" and she hit it again.

The mirror shattered, and although several shards did cut her, Sally did not move. The shadow however, did. It squirmed and kicked its legs, and to Sally's shock, it screamed. Sally covered her ears as it wailed, gritting her teeth together. The shadow screamed for a few more seconds before it finally faded away.

Cautiously, Sally took her hands off her ears. She gazed down at the ground where the shadow once was and growled. "Good riddance." Sally whispered as she turned to the door. For a moment she wondered how she had shattered the mirror so easily, but she didn't want to be in the room any longer. Without another thought, Sally opened the door and entered the final hallway.

The last walk was more of a limp. Her left leg had been deeply pierced by the creature's claws, and exerting extra force into walking didn't exactly feel too good. Of course, her leg wound was accompanied by a massive headache, stomach pain, a backache, a bloodied arm, and a scratched up face. Needless to say, she didn't feel the least bit pleased with her condition. "At least I'm almost done." Sally whispered. "I just hope that there won't be another enemy before the emerald."

She reached the end within five minutes. The final entryway had no door, but a large opening in the wall that lead to an inviting room. Sally stepped in, surprised to see that the emerald was literally in the middle of the expanse. Leading to the center of the room was a steep and intimidating staircase. Shaking her head, Sally silently walked towards it. "Dramatic to the very end." She whispered.

When she reached the top, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment fill her. Yes, she had been through a lot of crap in the temple, but she had actually done it! As her eyes set upon the purple emerald, Sally found a smile begin to grow on her face. Yes, it was a good feeling. She took no more time to admire the emerald than what she had to. Wordlessly, she grabbed the emerald and turned around. For some reason after she grabbed the emerald however, she felt as if a heavy burden had been place on her shoulders.

"Shake it off," Sally whispered to herself as she began her descent down the stairs. "It's probably nothing." Despite her self-assuring words, it felt as if something wasn't right with the air. There was something that was off, but she didn't know what it was. When she finally finished walking down the stairs, it felt as if something—or someone—was right on her tail. Every fiber of her being seemed to scream at her not to turn around, but against her better judgment, she did anyways.

Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat when she saw a black cloud hovering over her. The aura it emitted was more than menacing, as it felt as if it was ready to kill. Sally took a step back as she swallowed, but before she could actually get anywhere, the dark presence launched itself at her. She yelped as it collided with her, sending both her and the emerald to the ground. For a moment, she couldn't breath. Then, it was as if the dark presence hadn't been there at all.

Sally sat up and shook her head. What was that thing? She inhaled heavy breathes as she looked around. Whatever it was, it seemed as if it was gone. Sally grabbed the emerald and stood up, then without another thought, headed down the hallway again. Soon, she'd be able to lie down and take a long nap… ah, how nice that sounded.

As she advanced down the hall, she let her mind wander. The temple had taken a longer time than she had thought it would, and it had been a lot harder than imagined. She knew that soloing a temple was going to be difficult, but there had been no way she could have anticipated what she had just done. She was bruised, battered, and beaten by so much that she could have passed out right there if she hadn't been so determined. Sally smiled at the thought of her accomplishment once again and walked through the room where her previous battle had occurred.

When she looked down at the broken glass, she saw a confident and strong princess.

She continued onto the next hall without even bothering to stop. Surly when she returned to Sonic's side, he was going to have to heal her. And of course, he was going to _happily_ heal her. The thought of Sonic's smile to see her after braving the temple by herself made Sally's confidence leap every time she imagined it. He was going to be so proud of her! Why wouldn't he? Sonic had always been confident in Sally, and to see her accomplish so much was going to make him so happy.

He was going to be joyful when he saw her, it was fact. Although there was the possibility that he was going to be a little disappointed when he found out that she had gone on an adventure by herself, Sally was sure that it wouldn't have mattered.

_Well… it probably won't matter. _A second voice of reason whispered to her. No, it wasn't going to matter, she was sure of it! He was going to hug her when she got back, and everything was going to be okay again. Right? _Maybe, but isn't there a possibility of Sonic being a little mad?_ Well yes, there was potential for anger in the situation, but for what reason would he be mad? Yes, he loved adventure, but would he hate her because she cheated him out of a dangerous experience? _It's possible._

Sally yawned and stretched. Yes, it was possible, but what were the chances of that? Sonic was a good guy. He wasn't the type to get mad easily. He was calm and always kept his cool. Well, he usually kept his cool. _He did get mad at me when I messed up on the puzzle… _Sally gritted her teeth and stared at the floor. That was one time, and his anger had justification in that moment. She had messed up, and that was why she was going through the temple by herself.

When she finally reached the second room, she couldn't help but peek at the mirrors. Her reflection was that of an unsure and exhausted girl.

Well, as long as he understood that her apology was sincere and true, then all would be well. She'd get along with Sonic, he'd get along with her, and they'd be happy again. _But I snuck out. Even if he does accept my apology, he's not going to like that I endangered myself. _So? She'd done much more dangerous things in her life, with and without Sonic. So far, nothing _too _bad had happened to her, so there was no reason to worry.

_What about his reaction when I was hurt in the fire temple? He was so mad… _Sally gritted her teeth and balled her free hand into a fist as she growled. That hadn't meant anything. He had just been protecting his friend because he had to. There had been no meaning behind it. No ulterior motive, no secret behind his actions. _That means that he won't care that I'm hurt right now. _Sally gritted her teeth. Of course he was going to care! Why wouldn't he? _Because I'm not important to him. _

Sally froze in her tracks. Was it true? Did Sonic hate her? No, there was no way! Was there? Sure, they had said some mean things to each other, but they had always moved past that. Hey, they hadn't even mentioned the break up to each other! Oh wait, yes they had. A pang of guilt and pain hit her as she thought about it. _He didn't mention it because it makes him hate me more. _ Maybe it was true. He had left her for two years after that fateful day. Was that what had started it all? Sally's eyes began to fill as tears and she shook her head.

No, she couldn't be so negative. There was no way on all of Mobius that Sonic hated her! They were best friends, and they had been since childhood. Nothing could have ruined that. _Except for the break-up. _She had seen it before. A soured relationship shattered even the strongest friendships. Was the same true for her and Sonic? Were they destined to never be friends again?

Sally walked through the first room and only glanced at the mirrors. She saw a pathetic excuse of flesh and fur staring back at her.

"Maybe…" Sally whispered as she walked through the doorway. "I'm nothing to him." If he had the reasons to leave her without daring to say goodbye, then it was more than possible. Sniffling, Sally continued down the final hall. If that was so, what use was she? She couldn't rescue the Freedom Fighters herself. Restoring Nicole's memory wasn't possible. Defeating Eggman single-handedly was not an option. What else was there? _Nothing. _

Tears sprung from her eyes, and with a tired arm, she wiped them away. _Maybe… it would be better if I disappeared. _Numbness was the most welcoming option at the moment. Would not existing be better than pain? She had never experienced something like what she was thinking of, so it seemed to be a very inviting option.

The entrance hall was empty when Sally sulked through it. The guardian was nowhere in sight, and neither was any of the shadow creatures at the moment. Sighing, Sally headed off towards the front door. There was nothing to hold her to the life she once had. No one, nothing, not even pleasant memories could have changed her opinion. Wearily, Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket as she squeezed through the door.

Within a few seconds, she had located the nearest city. Her mind made up, Sally nodded to herself and put the computer away. It would be quick and painless, no doubt. _Maybe… then he'll be happy. _The dark presence whispered to her in her own voice, filling Sally with more misery. _A world without me… just the words sound pleasant. _

Following the directions of Nicole and the evil spirit, Sally headed off to the nearest city. The time was four o' one.

* * *

><p>This is by far, my longest chapter yet. Makes me happy! I had a fun time with this chapter. :) Sorry if it's a little angsty... or a lot. :P<p>

Anyways... I have a legitimate reason as to why this took so long! You've heard of computer crashes, right? Well, that disaster decided to visit me a few weeks ago, so it took me a while to post this! Hopefully, my good computer will be fixed soon.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And have a Merry Christmas you guys! :D


	17. Faster and Faster

**Chapter 17: Faster and Faster**

Dr. Eggman's eyes fixed upon the screen, and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Perfect. His robots had fetched his target faster than he had expected. Of course, it shouldn't have been too surprising. With his intelligence that led to their new upgrades, it was more than obvious that it was to work so well. It had taken a few hours to locate him, and capturing him had been simple. He had barely even fought back when they had grabbed him, and he had not said a word when they dragged him to the transportation device. It made the doctor curious. What was he going to say when he was face to face with his uncle?

There was no time to ponder because within the very next second, the two were in that very situation. The doors to the control room swished open, revealing the two robots and their captive. For a moment, the doctor stayed silent as he examined him. He had not changed much. Dr. Eggman smiled and nodded to the two eggbots. They pushed the man forward roughly, not even bothering to react when he glared at them. Without even having to take an order they left, leaving Dr. Eggman and Snively to stare at each other.

It surprised him slightly; the glare he was receiving. Despite the intensity of the stare, Eggman walked forward. "Well, well, well, if it's my wonderful nephew. How—" Just as he was about to pat him on his head, Snively swatted him away.

"Don't you touch me, you disgusting man." He spat, his tone vile and furious.

Eggman let out a simple laugh, "So, you finally grew a backbone, eh Snively?" His nephew growled, folding his arms as he glared at the Eggman. The doctor let out a "ha" and turned around. "It's about time."

His nephew took no time to think, "Why did you bring me here?"

Dr. Eggman gazed upon Mobius as he spoke. "I need your help."

Snively folded his arms and growled. "The marvelous Dr. Robotnik needs the help of a lowly lacky such as I?"

He whipped his head back, raising an eyebrow. "Such attitude Snively. Be careful, I could put you in time-out for your behavior." He silently walked back. "And it's Dr. Eggman now. I've left that name in the past."

"Ah yes, you're now going by the name that the blue hedgehog mocks you with."

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Eggman yelled, making Snively jump back for the first time. Ah, that was more like it. After a few seconds he regained his composure, but it was obvious that he was a little shaken. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" He paused to make sure it wouldn't happen again, "I need your help."

"With what? Gloating?"

Eggman raised an eyebrow. He sure was… spunky, so to say. "Obviously not."

"Right… I forgot that you could do all of that yourself."

His patience was growing shorter and shorter with each second, and he was sure that if he didn't hurry, he was going to strangle his nephew. "I need to… test the blue hedgehog."

Suddenly Snively seemed slightly interested. "Why?"

Eggman scoffed, "Why else? To see how strong he is, to make him suffer... do I really need to go over it? I can't make this be too easy for him."

Snively hummed for a moment, "Why would it appear too easy? From what I've learned, your robot, the Eggxterminator, is beyond deadly."

"I'm not creating any road blocks Snively. He needs to stumble or he may discover what I have in store for him." He told him.

"And why would that be a problem?"

"If he were to discover the capabilities of this creation, there is a possibility that he would gather some of his friends to help him. I do not want to take any chances, and I can not leave the Eggxterminator." Eggman paused, "And such is my dilemma."

His nephew glanced around for a moment before he sighed. "What would I gain from this?"

"It depends on how well you perform your task."

He was silent for a moment before he smiled an evil grin. "I do enjoy watching the rodent squirm…"

Dr. Eggman smiled, now beaming. "Ah, that's my boy. Now," he walked off, "Let me tell you what you must do…" As he continued, he felt an over-whelming sense of pride fill him. With Snively there to aid him and the unstoppable weapon in operation, there was no way he was going to fail. Soon the hedgehog would fall, and soon the world would be his.

* * *

><p>The numbness was over-whelming. No, it wasn't quite numbness, but she was close to it. Soon, that would be all she knew. Maybe numbness wasn't even what was going to go through her mind. Perhaps it would be nothingness instead. Sally glanced down at Nicole once again. She was still heading in the right direction, no doubt about that. How much longer was it going to take to reach the city? A little over an hour if she was quick.<p>

Sally had been walking for hours to her goal and she had to be honest: she was beyond exhausted. How long had it been? Sally hadn't kept track, but she knew it had been a long time. At least a few hours… how many? She gritted her teeth and shook her head. It didn't matter, and it certainly wasn't going to matter when—suddenly, she sneezed. Ugh… not only did she feel sick mentally, but physically as well. She was still bruised and battered, and she could feel a fever coming on.

_This infernal body. _The spirit whispered in Sally's voice. _Such a weak figure... no wonder Sonic would rather go through the temples by himself. _She sighed as she looked up. It was starting to rain again. What had been with the weather lately? It had been raining a lot… maybe too much. "Oh well..." Sally thought, "I'm not going to find out why."

Sally sighed and continued onward to the city. Soon she wouldn't have to worry about all of that. It would all be over in a few hours. She just had to keep going…

* * *

><p>She stood there, her expression filled with worry and exhaustion. "I don't want you to do it anymore. Stay with me. Please, my love… say you will."<p>

Sonic swallowed. "Sorry Sal. I… can't."

Her expression transformed into one of fury, "I should've known you'd be so selfish!" And her hand flew across his cheek. It stung like none other.

He stumbled back, bringing his hand up to the freshly slapped skin. His eyes were wide as he stared at her, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. First, he was confused. "Selfish?" Then, he was mad. "Selfish? I scarified my life to save the planet, ended up on the far side of the universe BECAUSE of it, did everything to get back ONLY to find out that I lost a WHOLE year of my life, and now I just want to END this stupid war—how is that selfish?"

Despite his anger, Sally held her ground. She gritted her teeth, her hands clenched into fists. "Do you know what it was like believing you were dead? It completely broke my heart. Watching Mecha hurt you brought it all back… and I refuse to have my heart broken again, Sonic." She grabbed him by the shoulders. "What's more important to you anyway? Punching out Robotnik's lights, or being with me?"

Sonic could only stare at her. He knew very well what he wanted to say, but would she understand? It was dead silent. If a pin would have dropped, it would have broken the silence in half. After what seemed like an eternity, Sally pushed him away.

"Then he can have you all to himself." And she ran.

This time, Sonic didn't run the other way. "Sal!" he exclaimed, reaching his hand out to her. He ran as fast as he could, but no matter what, Sally would not come any closer. "Sal!" he yelled again. She didn't hear him, and when the world around him literally began to shatter, fear swallowed him whole. "SAL!"

She didn't hear him, and before he could yell her name again, he fell. It was a breathless, wordless fall. Would hitting the ground hurt? His answer was the chest-crushing pain that filled him several seconds later. And suddenly, the pain that was filling every ounce of his body. "Get up Sonic…" he told himself with winded words.

As he pushed himself up, a maniacal laughter filled the air. Was that—? He stood up and looked around, anxious to find the lowlife known Dr. Eggman. Instead, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. "No…" Sonic whispered, his eyes growing wide. "No!" He dashed towards Sally—or what was left of her—tears beginning to fill his eyes.

When he reached her, he was ready to let the tears flow. She was broken, bleeding, and barely alive. He held her up being careful to support her neck. "S…Sonic…"

"I'm here Sal, I'm here!" he told her, fear and adrenaline making his heart pound. Before he could do anything else, the evil laughter returned. When he looked up, his heart nearly stopped.

There was the Eggxterminator, at full power and in all its glory. And of course, sitting at the controls was Doctor Eggman and to Sonic's surprise, Snively. There was no time to come up with witty banter as the doctor laughed. "You fool! You never stood a chance!" No, this wasn't happening. Not this, anything but this! He could feel blood seeping from his own wounds onto his fur and skin, but he didn't care.

The doctor laughed again. "And now as the world weeps, they'll know that it was all your fault! You miserable blue hedgehog… you failed!" Tears began to seep from Sonic's eyes. No, it couldn't be true… it wasn't!

"Sonic…" Sally whispered weakly, "Where were you… when the brains were handed out?" His eyes wide, Sonic looked down at her again. This time, there was a gapping wound in her chest, bleeding as if there was no tomorrow.

He gasped, looking up at the doctor one last time. No… no! He couldn't have failed! There was no way on Mobius, no way in the entire universe that he could have lost! Just as he was about to do something, a metallic hand grabbed him by the throat. "Where were you when the brains were handed out?" He looked back at Sally—now a robot—who pulled him up into the air.

Furiously, the hedgehog scratched at the iron grip around him. Not now, he couldn't die now! The maniacal laughter was running rampant in the air, the scent of blood was making him dizzy, and now—

"Say goodbye hedgehog!" The doctor exclaimed. Suddenly the grip around his throat tightened, and a series of sharp metallic fingers from the bloodied Sally robot made their way at his body. Just as he was going to be impaled, the hedgehog screamed and sat up off the stone floor, panting heavy breathes. Had… that all been a dream? He sat there for a moment, looking around at the cave.

That… had been freaky. Sonic shook his head, sighing as he looked down at the ground. He was just glad that it had all been a dream. Maybe it was a good time to apologize to Sal. Sonic nodded and stood up. "Hey Sal, what time is it?" he asked as he began to stretch.

The silence that replied made his heart skip a beat. Sal? He twisted around, fear swallowing him whole. Just as he had suspected, Sally was not there. Without a moment to spare, Sonic dashed forward, glancing around outside. Where was she? The flash of lightning and the crack of thunder from the outside world made him take a step back. Maybe she was just outside taking a walk or something. In a rain storm… without anything to keep her dry… yeah right. The hedgehog took another step back, biting his lip in the process. As he pondered on what he was to do, Sonic looked down at the ground. Wait, what was that? He crouched down and grabbed the piece of paper, then quietly read over it.

_Dear Sonic, I'm sorry about everything that happened yesterday. I shouldn't have been so rude, and I promise that I won't do it again. I've decided that I'm going to make it up to you. Hopefully by the time you find me, I will have the fourth emerald in my possession. And don't worry, I'll be fine. See you soon! From, Sally._

Sonic gritted his teeth as he held onto the note. She had gone off to the next temple by herself? Did she even have any idea how dangerous that was? Despite the letter's words telling him not to worry, Sonic was uneasy. He stood there for a moment to contemplate on what he was to do before he growled. "Darn it Sal." he destroyed the paper with his chaos powers, then turned around and dashed out of the cave.

What was she thinking, leaving him like that? The temples were dangerous, even when he was there with her. Sonic gritted his teeth; letting his senses take over simultaneously. No matter what, he wasn't going to let her get hurt. He was going to make sure she was safe. He cared about her too much to let her be in any more pain, and that was a fact.

* * *

><p>The doctor looked over the energy levels and how efficiently the Eggxteminator was running, then nodded to himself. The charge rate was constant, and the estimated date had not been changed at all. Everything was in order and running smoothly, just as planned. He smiled and nodded, then continued to walk along the control panel. Now all he had to do was make sure that—<p>

The alarm went off, sending a level of surprise through his system. "Sonic the Hedgehog located." He raised his eyebrows, pressing a button so he could view the video feed. Ah yes, it was Sonic indeed, running as always. But where was his precious princess? He hummed to himself, then smiled mischievously. He wouldn't have had a better opportunity if he had to plead with the hedgehog himself. Now was the time to act.

With a press of a few buttons, his voice was booming across the Eggxterminator. "Snively, you are needed in the control room. Now is your chance to earn your reward!" Although the announcement was short lived, it was very effective. Within a few seconds, Snively was back in the control room of the machine.

Snively looked around for a few moments before making his way across the room. "What am I to do?" he asked, his irritated expression still present.

Eggman smiled his signature evil grin and stepped to the side. "You know what to do."

He stared blankly at his uncle before he sighed and nodded. The tiny man made his way to the control panel and glanced back at Dr. Eggman for a moment. "Is there—" As if he had read his mind, Eggman pressed a button that made a chair pop up from the floor. Snively was silent as he sat up in the chair and examined the controls. He looked up to the top of the dashboard and froze when his eyes lay upon an object. His old headset.

He gritted his teeth. "You're a cruel old man." But he grabbed it and put it on regardless.

Dr. Eggman laughed. "I relish the thought."

Snively was still, then shook his head quickly. He began to type in various commands then spoke into the headset. "All units in sector three, area two locate and attack Sonic the Hedgehog. Do not suppress your efforts. Attack without delay once he is located." Dr. Eggman smiled down at him before turning and leaving the room. Yes, he had taught his nephew well.

* * *

><p>No matter how hard he tried, it felt as if Sonic wasn't getting anywhere. He knew deep down that he was almost to the temple, but every ounce of his reasoning was telling him otherwise. Gritting his teeth, Sonic sped up. How was it possible for him to be going the wrong way? It was nothing less than fact that the temple was in the direction he was heading. Why then, was he trying to convince himself that he wasn't going the right way? He didn't know.<p>

It had been a few minutes since he had left the cave and he was only a few miles away from the dark temple. His determination was kindled by an emotion that was ready to burst from the cage he had shoved it in; which only added to his nervousness. Sonic shook his head, looking up ahead yet again. No, he had to concentrate. He could pay attention to that… "emotion" later. At that moment, all that mattered was finding Sally.

What condition would she be in when she found him anyway? Would she be as smashed up as she had been in his dream? Of course not, there was no way that could have happened! Sally was smart, and although she wasn't as skilled at fighting as he was, she knew what she was knew doing. Perhaps she was going to be at least bruised, but that was probably going to be most of it. Hopefully he'd—

His instincts kicked in at that second and he took a lighting fast jump to the side. A laser blast missed him by inches, making his eyes widen. Of all times, did he have to send his robots now? Sonic looked over his shoulder, growling as he did. How many egg-bots were there? At least thirty? He shook his head. Seriously, did the doctor have any sense whatsoever?

Instead of stopping, the hedgehog sped up, keeping an eye on his pursuers. Knowing Eggman, they'd quit if they couldn't keep up. Sonic glared at them one last time before looking ahead. As if the robots behind him were not enough, he was soon met with a wall of egg-bots before him. He gasped and skidded to a stop. What was going on?

As soon as he had slowed down, the mini-army charged at him. Sonic growled, "I don't have time for this!" Regardless, Sonic headed towards the nearest robot and grabbed it by the arm. Then he began to swing it around in circles, taking out countless egg-bots as he did. After he was finished with that maneuver, he threw the robot at one of the larger egg-bots. When it collapsed, another wave came at him.

He gritted his teeth, "You asked for it!" Sonic took one of the emeralds out and turned around, "Rip apart!" Before his eyes, he watched as a majority of the robots literally were split apart. Within seconds, they were nothing but scrap metal. Of course, the remaining did not realize that and soon became subject to Sonic's fury.

Sonic spent no time messing around with those robots. The first one that he reached had its arm ripped off, then was smacked promptly in the face. It flew back, and just before it hit the ground, the next one met a similar fate. He ripped its leg off and attacked it shortly afterward, resulting in it flying back at the same time. Just as another one attempted to attack him, he turned around and threw his hand forward. His hand engulfed in chaos energy, he ripped trough the robot and tore it apart. Just as he was ready to destroy the next one, a realization awakened in him. Without another word, he turned around and dashed off.

Some had tried to follow but by then, his patience had ran so thin that he didn't even care. What had he wasted his time fighting off those robots? There was simply no more time to waste, especially if Sally was in trouble. Just the thought of it made Sonic's heart pound. Swallowing, he sped up once again.

He had been avoiding the question: what if Sally really was hurt? What if she was gravely injured? His heart dropped at the thought. The answer was simple; if she was hurt, he'd do anything to help her, and it was obvious as to why. Sonic could no longer deny his feelings for her. Sally… no, he wouldn't use _that _word, but he knew it was true. He cared for her more than anyone else, and that was all that mattered.

He didn't even spend any time to examine the temple when he reached it. Sonic burst through the doors and ran as fast as he could, flying through the halls as if they were nothing. There was no time spent examining the mirrors, no time wasted contemplating his situation, and no precious seconds used up to fight off any potential enemies. At that moment, there was only one option; to do what he did best.

After what seemed like an eternity and a half, Sonic burst through the final doorway into a circular room. "This must be where the chaos emerald is!" Sonic whispered, dashing up the stairs to the pedestal. His eyes widened when he noticed the lack of emerald. Had she already been through the entire temple and retrieved the emerald? That was a lot to do for one girl in one night. Sonic swallowed and looked around.

"Sal?" he asked, his heartbeat increasing as he called for her. He walked around the pedestal a few times, "Sal, where are you?" He was starting to worry. Was she already gone? "Sal, are you here?" How had she done it? Had—

"Goodness boy, she's already left!" A voice like nails on a chalk board made Sonic's heart skip a beat. What on Mobius? He turned around, almost jumping when he saw—quite literally—a purple ghost.

Ignoring his surprise for just a moment, Sonic swallowed. "Where did she go?"

The creature shrugged (if the gesture could have been called that), "How should I know? I haven't been out of this temple in ages. Anything she said means nothing to me." It told him, turning away as if it was ready to leave.

"Wait, please!" It paused and looked over its shoulder, "She's important to me, I need to know where she is! Please, tell me what you heard!"

He smiled, "As she is to you…" Sonic swallowed as it turned back to him. "If you really want to know, I'll tell you. If I'm correct, she's heading toward the nearest city."

Sonic nodded, "Thank you!" he exclaimed as he dashed down the stairs. There was no time to lose! He had to—

"If I were you," Sonic skidded to a stop. What else did the ghost want? He looked up at it yet again, "I would hurry. The things that one go through in a temple such as this aren't pleasing, especially what she experienced. They tend to… change a person." The blue hedgehog was silent. What did he mean? The creature smiled a devilish grin and flew off, leaving Sonic with only his thoughts.

Sonic shook his head. There was no time to sit and ponder, he simply had to go. With that thought in mind, Sonic ran out of the room and down the hall. There was someone special that he had to save.

* * *

><p>The words of the passersby Mobians and humans meant nothing to Sally. Although she heard their words, she didn't dare listen to their conversations. Yes, there was some curiosity in her when it came to what they were saying, but it was dying it quickly. Instead of wondering what they were saying, she concentrated on another question. Where was the tallest building in the city? She swallowed as she looked around. Was there some map somewhere? <em>It shouldn't be too hard to find the tallest building… of course, knowing me…<em>

Sally shook her head and continued onward. She shivered as she walked, making her growl to herself. The rain sure wasn't helping her condition, and neither was the wind that accompanied it. _Well, at least I won't have to deal with it for much longer. _The spirit told her, leaving her with a frown. Yes, it was true. Sighing, Sally walked around. She had seen the building when she had first spotted the city… where was it again?

It was a dark building with lots of windows, but that was all she could remember. "I would know it if I saw it…" she whispered. _Just keeping walking. _She nodded to herself and continued on. As she rounded a corner, she let her thoughts wander a bit.

What would the citizens of the city think when she jumped? Easy: they'd be terrified. The sight of what she would look like—she shook her head. _Don't think about it. It's not like I'll be the first one that's ever done it. _True. There probably had been others like her. At least, there must have been, right? She swallowed, looking up at the sky. Just as a strike of lighting slashed across the sky, her eyes met the skyscraper. Her heart skipped a beat. _Keep going. _She nodded, then quickened her pace. It was now or never.

Within moments, she was in the lobby of the business building. Sally looked around, spotting the front desk within a few second. Sitting there was a young woman that was no younger than twenty, wearing an excited expression on her face. Despite not looking the least bit intimidating, the idea of talking to her filled Sally with terror. She walked forward, a lump forming her throat as she readied herself to speak. "Um… excuse me, miss."

The young woman at the desk looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Is… the roof open to the public?"

She glanced up at the clock, moving a piece of her hair out of her face. "Yes, it is." The woman told her. "Are you sight seeing?"

Sally nodded and shrugged. "Kind of."

The lady gave her a half-hearted smile and nodded before turning back to her desk. Sally swallowed as she examined her for a moment, then walked down the hall. Past the desk was a series of elevators, making her raise her eyebrows. Did it matter which one she chose? Obviously not. She clicked the button on the nearest elevator, then patiently waited.

It took a little longer then expected, but the doors slid open after a minute or two. She stepped in, pressed the highest button and waited. What would it be like? Would it hurt for a moment, or would it be over quickly? Or in the worst case, would she have to suffer? Swallowing, she shook her head. Hopefully, it wouldn't… oh who was she kidding, it wasn't going to fine. _It's better than facing Sonic again._

When the elevator doors swooshed open, she saw a gray colored room. Sally stepped out and looked around. A staircase that held onto the wall, dim lights… she sighed and nodded. Ah yes, she had to scale a few stairs. Where were the other elevator doors? Oh, that didn't matter. She needed to get going.

For some reason, the next few seconds were a blur. She scaled the stairs, opened the door, walked out onto the roof… and suddenly, she was standing at the edge. All she could do was stare down at the street below her. _It's just one step. One step and it will all be over with. _Sally took in a deep breath and stared at the sky. Just one step…

* * *

><p>Faster, faster, there was no time to stop. Where was she? Never before in his life had he pushed himself so hard. For in the first time in years, Sonic was actually panting while running. "Come on Sonic," he thought, "you have to find her!" Where on Mobius was that city? Sonic growled and gritted his teeth. How was he going to find her without Nicole? Or at least a basic map? He had always depended on Sally when they were going somewhere, but now he had to find her instead. How irritatingly ironic life was sometimes.<p>

Growling, Sonic closed his eyes and sped up yet again. "Sally…" he whispered, "Where are you?" Why was he filled with fear every time he imagined her? Sure, it was possible that she had a few injuries, but there was no way that she was going to be in _that _much pain. When he opened his eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He had moving faster than he had thought. There before him was the city. "Whoa… that's a lot of tall buildings." His eyes moved to the tallest one, "Especially that one. It's—" His heart paused. Was that—yes! It was! There was Sally, standing at the edge of the tallest skyscraper.

A strange calmness rushed through his body. Thank goodness she was fine. Sonic sighed, slowing to a stop. "Sal…" he whispered, "I'm so glad that you're okay." He smiled. She had retrieved the emerald and survived.

He continued to walk towards the city, the peaceful smile on his face. "Sal." Everything was gong to be okay. As soon as he was by her side again, he was going to make sure she knew how sorry he was. Sonic watched as she moved towards the edge. "Sal…" His smile grew. No matter what, he was never going to fight with her again. Suddenly, Sally stepped up onto the edge of the building. Sonic sped up his walking and raised an eyebrow. "Sal?" Why was she up on the building anyways? When he thought about it, her action made no sense. She began to move again, making Sonic raise his other eyebrow. "Sal?"

Then she stepped off. "SAL!" His heart skipped a beat and without another word, the hedgehog ran off as fast as he could.

He broke the sound barrier nearly every time he ran, but that time, it was such a powerful sound that several citizens in the city fell over from shock. Although they were surprised from the sound, it was nothing compared to the panic going through Sonic's heart. There was no time to question and no time to think; he just had to go. For a moment, he simply watched her fall as he ran. Then, he ran faster than he had ever tried. There was no way on Mobius that he would let her reach the ground, and yet, she was growing nearer with each moment.

Gritting his teeth, Sonic pushed himself even further. He was running out of time. Within the last possible second, he leapt for her, "CHAOS CONTROL!" The world was a flash of green light for just a moment. He wrapped his arms around her, his eyes clenched close as he held his breath. For what seemed like a thousand years, the world stood still. Then, they flew out across the ground. As they skidded, countless grasses and rocks tore at Sonic's flesh and fur, making him grit his teeth. No matter what, he wasn't going to loosen his grip.

Eventually, the two came to a complete halt, and all that could be heard were Sonic's heavy breaths. How hard had he pushed himself? He didn't know. All that mattered was that he had saved her. What condition was she in, speaking of which? Slowly, Sally opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was his chest fur that her face was buried in, making her heart skip a beat. What on Mobius? Her cheeks flushing red, Sally tried to push herself away, but it made Sonic only tighten his grip. What was going on?

After a few failed attempts, Sally stopped. What had just happened anyways? Everything was blurred together in her mind. At that moment, she knew three things. It was raining, she was wet, and Sonic was holding her close. Had something bad just happened? There must have been something, but what? It felt as if a chunk of her memories had been thrown out of her mind. Sighing, Sally shook her head. What else was she to do? Silently, Sally rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was going so fast that Sally's eyes widened as she listened. What had he been doing to make it move like that? Just as she was about to ask, the hedgehog sat up, pulling her up in the process.

When she saw his expression, a level of surprise made her eyes widen yet again. He looked genuinely scared. What was going on? She was silent as they stared at each other, but when he put his hand on her cheek, she nearly jumped. He was still for a second before he suddenly put his arms around her in a tight embrace. Confusion was an understatement. Cautiously, Sally hugged him back. Did she do something wrong?

The hug ended quickly, and soon, he had pulled Sally to her feet. "Chaos regeneration." Sonic whispered, motioning over to Sally's body. Sally looked down as the energy closed up her wounds, then cringed for a moment when it ended her other pains. Sheesh, she forgot how much it hurt when a wound was healed. Just as she was about to look up at Sonic and say something, the hedgehog grabbed her by the hand and led her off.

She glanced around, raising her eyebrows in the process. They were going back to the cave? What for? There was no time to ask because within a few minutes, they were standing in the structure once again. Sally looked at Sonic, confusion over-coming her. Something was wrong, and that was a fact. She opened her mouth ready to ask, but suddenly, the blue hedgehog turned the nearest wall and punched it. She gapped when a large crack ran up and down it, then looked up at Sonic. Suddenly, he looked angry.

The boy pulled his arm back, ready to attack once again. Sally shook her head, "Sonic, stop it, you're going to ruin the cave!"

Sonic looked back at her, a glare in the place of his previously panicked expression. "I'm going to ruin the cave?" His tone was beyond any anger she had ever heard. "That's all you can say to me after you jumped off a building?"

Sally swallowed. Oh yes, that's what she had been doing. "Sonic, I—"

"Sally, what were you thinking?" He exclaimed as he stepped forward. "If I wouldn't have been there to catch you, you would have ended up like a bug on a wind-shield!"

Sally nodded, "I know, but—"

"But what Sal? You would have been okay? Sally, you know very well that if I wouldn't have caught you, you'd be dead!" He yelled.

"Sonic I'm sorry, I just… I just…" She swallowed. What else was there to say?

"You just what Sal?" He asked, folding his arms.

Sally bit her lip and looked down at the floor. Tears began to fill her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sonic."

Sonic stood there for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "I accept your apology. You _did_ manage to find the emerald, and you're alright. That's all that matters." Sonic nodded to himself as he turned around.

Sally folded her arms and sniffled. So what, he was going to be done talking to her just like that? After just a huge fight and barely saving her life, that was all he was going to say? Glaring at the floor, Sally growled. "It's not like I actually matter anyways. It's all about the emeralds…"

The hedgehog froze in his tracks. In that instant, a wall of fury bubbled back to the surface in full. He turned and glared at her. "What did you say?"

She scowled at the floor, tears escaping from her eyes. Her hands clenching into fists, she looked up at him. "You never cared about me! It was always about beating Robotnik's sorry butt, and it still is! Even when he's 'Dr. Eggman,' all that matters is proving that you're the best and acting like a complete—"

The hedgehog threw her over and pinned her against the wall, his gaze filled with a wrath she had never seen before. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. Never before in her life had she seen him so mad.

"YOU THINK I DON'T CARE?" He yelled, making Sally shrink back as her heartbeat increased in speed. "You think that all of my fighting in the war, that year in space, and everything I've done for you on this journey is not CARING? Everything I've done, I've done for you!" He yelled, the tears rapidly flowing from Sally's eyes. "What is it going to take for you to realize that I love you Sally Acorn?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes widened. What? Had he really just said that? His words had said one thing, but the glare she was receiving said another. Sally swallowed, unsure of what to do. When she finally tried to speak, she swallowed and stuttered, "I…I—"

But even if she would have known what to say, there wouldn't have been a chance for her to reply. Sonic's lips pressed down hard on hers, bringing her already quick heartbeat to speed up even more. She jumped back, her eyes wide, adrenaline filling her entire body within an instant. How on Mobius, what, wait, huh? There shouldn't have been any way for him to still care for her, especially after their break-up. How had he fallen in love with her after everything that happened? She didn't know, but for some reason, she didn't care.

Her eyes came to a close and she let her body relax. If what he had said was true, then there was no reason to be scared. Fear was no longer an option. As if he had read her thoughts, Sonic slowly brought his hands down, pulling her hands down at the same time. Maybe, just maybe, everything really was going to be okay. The kiss lasted for a few more seconds before they slowly pulled away from each other.

Sonic's gaze was no longer angry, but calm. Silently, he put his hands on her shoulders "Sal…" he whispered in a soft and cautious tone. "I love you." Sally nodded and swallowed. Without another word, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Never again would she leave his side. Never. The hedgehog put his arms around her, holding her close as he inhaled the scent of her hair.

The only sound came from the rain outside and the occasional crack of thunder. It was the peace Sally had been dreaming of for who knew how long? Tears streaming down her face, she spoke. "Sonic, I'm so sorry. I should have never done that."

Sonic nodded, "I know Sal. I know." He gently pushed her away and looked at her once again. Her hair was messy, there were deep purple shadows under her eyes, and she was rocking in her place. Of course, she hadn't sleep since the morning before they went through the water temple! Shaking his head, he put two fingers to his lips. "Silence, peace, sleep." Then he gently brought the fingers to her forehead. "Chaos."

Her eyes widened. Wait, was he having her go to sleep? No, not now! Not after she had just found out how he really felt! "Sonic, no!" She exclaimed as she tried to take step forward. Instead she stumbled, falling forward into his grasp again. Her eyelids were becoming heavy faster than she could comprehend, making her grit her teeth. "Sonic…" she whispered as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

"I love you Sally." He whispered, kissing her forehead softly. "Sweet dreams." Sally fought it off for a few more seconds before her eyes closed, leaving a peaceful expression on her face. Sonic smiled softly and sat down, holding the girl close. No matter what, he was not going to leave her again.

* * *

><p>But soft, what yonder angst dost break? *Hits head on wall* Yeah I know, *ANGST!* But don't worry, the next chapter will have a lot <span>less<span> angst! Isn't that nice to know? Oh and look, they finally kissed! That sure took awhile...

And another long chapter too! Although, this one kinda had to be. Anyways... please review! It means a lot to me. :) And thanks to all who have favorite, reviewed, and followed this! Oh, and by the way, when it came to the note, you called in SSJ04 Mewtwo. And I also finally got the complete series of Sonic the Adventure for Christmas. I only have one more disk to watch...


	18. It Skips

**Chapter 18: It Skips**

The oddest part about waking up was that the floor was warm. After all of the stormy weather that had been going on, it would have made much more sense for it to be cold, but for some reason it wasn't. As she climbed from the unconsciousness she had been dragged into, she couldn't help but pay attention to the temperature of the ground. At the moment, it was the only thing that she was able to grasp to in her attempt to wake up. In fact, she couldn't even open her eyes. She knew that she was going to be able to within a few minutes, but at the moment, there was no other choice but to lay in wait.

When her eyes finally opened, she saw the purple emerald on the ground before her. It was glowing slightly, making her raise her eyebrows. Of course, she had absolutely no idea why it was shining at the moment. At that second, her only conclusion was that it was pretty and fun to look at. After a few more minutes, she finally found the strength to push herself up off the floor and examine the gem. The radiance it emitted wasn't very bright, but it _was_ very warm. Ah, so that's where it had come from. Carefully, she reached for the jewel, letting her tired fingers wrap around it carefully.

Her grip around it was tight, and she held it as if she was afraid to let go. The warmth around her was comforting and the last thing she wanted to do was let it fade away. Taking in a deep breath, Sally closed her eyes. It was if someone was embracing her in a tight hug, or as if she was wrapped within a cozy blanket. The feeling… it was familiar. The question of course, was why. As soon as she asked herself the question, the answer popped into her head.

Sonic. Where was he anyways? Sally looked around, raising her eyebrows in the process as other questions flooded her mind. What time was it? Why was she still in the cave? What had happened before she had fallen asleep? Sighing, Sally shook her head. "Only one way to find out." She whispered as she pulled herself up. As soon as she was on her feet, she took in a deep breath and headed off toward the entrance. And as expected, it was raining again. Only this time, it was a light drizzle.

The rain was the first thing she noticed, but the sound of a large amount of moving water was the second thing. Was water supposed to be that loud in such a peaceful time of rain? Sally was confused for a second, but when she turned to look at the pond, her puzzled expression transformed into one of surprise. Never before in her life had she seen anything like what she was seeing at that moment.

There in the pond was Sonic, wearing neither his gloves, shoes, nor his socks. That in itself made her surprised, but there was something even stranger going on. There was obviously water in the pond around him, but there was also water in the air around him, floating in the form of bubbles. The bubbles around him stood still for a second, but when the hedgehog moved his hand, they moved as well. He directed one close to him to float above his head, and when he turned his hand into a fist, it fell on him. The funny thing about it was that it looked like a shower when it descended, making Sally raise her eyebrows.

She had to admit, it was clever. Without a word, Sally walked forward towards him, holding the emerald carefully. There was curiosity when she looked at him. How was he doing that? As if he had read her mind, Sonic looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Sal. Did you sleep well?"

A flood of memories was hurled at her the moment she looked at him. She felt her cheeks burning red when she remembered the kiss, so she glanced away to avoid his gaze. Sally nodded, "Yes, I did." Taking note of the emerald again, Sally looked directly at Sonic. "Thanks for making sure I was warm."

He nodded, "No problem Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, losing his concentration. "I hope that it—" The water bubbles all collapsed, including one that he had placed above his head. All of the water fell on his head, and it made him yelp. Sally of course, couldn't help but laugh. The hedgehog stood there and sputtered for a few seconds before he could speak again. "Well. That didn't work."

Sally nodded, a giggle still caught in her throat. "Nope." She told him, making his smile widen. She herself smiled, not knowing what else to say. What was there to say? There were so many things she could have said, but she was almost scared to ask him the question that she had in mind. Instead, she thought of something else, "So, what are you doing in the water?"

Sonic smiled, "Taking a shower."

Sally hummed for a moment and nodded. "Makes sense. We haven't exactly had time to clean up on our trip, have we?"

"Nope." Sonic told her as he finally began to walk forward. "Speaking of which, do you want to wash off?"

Sally looked down at herself, feeling a little disgusted at the level of grim and filth on her body. "That would be a good idea." She looked back at Sonic. "But wouldn't it be a little cold?"

Sonic smirked as he stepped out of the pond, reaching his hand out in the process. The purple emerald flew out of Sally's grasp, and into Sonic's. "No problem." He told her as he turned back to the pond. "Chaos ignite." Instead of a fire of some sort exploding on the water, it appeared as if it had changed. Sonic turned back to Sally, a smug grin on his face. "There you go."

Sally smiled, "Thanks. Now if you excuse me…" She stepped forward, but just as she was about to actually get anywhere, Sonic's hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Hold on Sal," Her heart skipped a beat, "We need to talk." Sally turned around, her heartbeat increasing in speed. His gaze was serious and concentrated, and it filled Sally with a hint of nervousness.

She swallowed, "About what?"

The intensity he held didn't waver as he spoke, "About yesterday." A lump formed in her throat as she continued to stare at him. She had been hoping so much that he wasn't going to mention it, but she knew deep inside that there was no avoiding it. "And about Tails and the Freedom Fighters." That part surprised her, however. Before she could ask why, he spoke again. "I know that this may sound kind of funny, but it's time that we stopped keeping secrets from one another. We're not going to get anywhere if we do." He told her as he looked away. Sonic sighed as spotted his shoes, socks, and gloves. "Of course, I'm going to let you take a bath first." He smiled to himself before he looked back at her. "I'm also going to go get us something to eat."

Sally nodded silently as she returned her gaze to the pond. How was it staying so clean with Sonic having already taken a shower? Silly thoughts at the moment were keeping her from going insane with all the ideas racing through her mind. Of course, Sonic didn't let her stay in that state of mind for long. Ever so gently, the hedgehog pressed his lips to her forehead, making her cheeks burn red. She looked up to see his smug smile.

"I'll be back soon." He told her, "Okay?" She nodded, and the hedgehog nodded back. Without another word, he turned around and dashed off, leaving the girl with a racing heart and a confused expression.

She looked down to where his few articles of clothing were; or where they had been a few seconds ago. How had put them on so fast? She shrugged to herself and shook her head. There was no use in questioning. He was the fastest thing alive, after all. It shouldn't have been so surprising that he was able to dress so fast. Or maybe he was running at full speed, trying to get his socks and shoes on in the process. The image made her smile.

After a few more seconds of contemplation, Sally decided to take her bath. The water was warm, and although she knew it was going to be, it still surprised her. Sonic sure was talented when it came to the chaos arts. It made her wonder how hard he had trained. From what she had heard, it had been a pain in the butt to learn everything that he had. Add the fact that Shadow had the capacity to be the cruelest creature alive _and_ Sonic's short patience; Sally came to the conclusion that it must have been beyond difficult.

Sally eventually sat down in the water, letting the liquid cover her entire body. The only question left in her mind was why. Why had he gone through all of that training in the first place? He had always been one of the most skilled fighters she had known, so why had he gone through even more training? It boggled her. His abilities had always been vital in the Freedom Fighter's missions… without him; the group of rebels had suffered immensely. For what reason did he have to improve himself? Maybe… it had been for all of his friends? A memory returned to mind as she raised her head above the water again.

_"So you're that girl." _She had often reflected on that day when she had thought of Sonic.

_"What girl?" _Meeting Shadow had been strange enough, but to learn that he had knew Sonic was even more mind blowing that she could have imagined.

_"The one that Sonic's always thinking about." _When Shadow had told her that, she hadn't believed him. She had cut that option out of her mind because at the time, she knew for a fact that Sonic didn't want to see her. Only now did she realize the truth of his statement.

A raindrop landed just between the princess's eyes, making her twitch. Ah yes, it was still raining. Perhaps finishing up quickly was a good idea. She had no idea if the storm was going to pick up again, but the last thing she needed was to be struck by lighting. With that thought in mind, Sally quickened her pace and scrubbed herself. To her surprise, every last bit of filth disappeared and within a few minutes, she was squeaky clean. Sonic had probably done something to the water… something like chaos shampoo?

For some reason, Sally found that funny. She laughed at herself, unable to understand why her statement was so hilarious. Maybe the idea of a chaos incantation that could summon shampoo was just too silly of an image for her to contain. Or maybe the fact that there was a possibility of Sonic actually saying that was just too much for her. Whatever it was, it made her giggle to herself for a few more seconds before something made her jump.

"Hey, what are you laughing about?" She nearly shrieked when she realized that someone had snuck up on her, but when she turned around, she let herself relax. There was Sonic, carrying a huge load of fruits and sandwiches.

Sally paused to count how many apples he had, but shook her head instead. "I just thought of something funny."

Sonic nodded, "That's good." He glanced down at the food, then back to Sally. "Are you almost done?"

Sally looked down at herself, "Yeah, I think so." She stood up, now soaking wet. The rush of the cold air made her shiver and yelp, making Sonic chuckle. "It's cold." She told him promptly.

"I can tell." He informed her, looking down at her vest and boots. "Why don't you grab your stuff? We can warm up in the cave." That was the only instruction she needed. She didn't even pause to think, but instead ran out of the pond, grabbed her articles of clothing, and dashed off to the cave. Sonic followed close behind, still holding all the food.

When they entered the cave, Sally found that the ground was still as warm as it had been when she had woken up; however, the atmosphere within the cave wasn't. She was shivering when she walked in, but the cold didn't last long. Sonic motioned his hand toward the center of the cave, "Chaos ignite." A small fire was born where he had pointed, and the heat it emitted instantly warmed the two.

Sally looked at the hedgehog as he sat down next to the flame, still holding the food. "You use that one a lot." She told him as she put her clothes next to the flame, then found a comfortable place to sit.

He shrugged, "It's got a lot of uses. If you were me, you'd do the same."

She nodded. "I probably would." Pausing, she looked across the flames at Sonic. Truthfully, she wanted to sit by him. Given the circumstances, would scooting over appear desperate or goofy? Instead, Sonic scooted over, making her raise her eyebrows.

"Here you go," Sonic grabbed two sandwiches and handed them to Sally. "I'm guessing since it's been awhile, you're probably really hungry." He also tossed her an apple, "Plus, an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

She nodded and without another word, bit into the fruit. It was a delicious taste—the apple juice that filled her mouth. Its succulent sweet flavor led her to savor each bite, spending as much time as she could to get the most of the apple as she could. Sonic on the other hand ate as fast as he could, finishing his eleven sandwiches and eight apples before Sally had even started her second sandwich. Silently, she wondered if he had actually ever stopped to savor a meal…

After he had finished his last bite of food, Sonic looked at Sally. His gaze was soft and contemplative, but slightly conflicted at the same time. What was wrong? Sonic sighed as he sat back and inhaled deeply. "Sal… do you know why I didn't let Tails come with us?" He looked back at her, his expression now serious.

Sally shook her head, taking another bite of her sandwich in the process. Sonic nodded, "I didn't expect you to." The hedgehog shifted his position once again before continuing. "It was my one adventure that no one heard about. Unlike all of my other 'victories,' this one didn't exactly spread by the media, or to anyone for that matter." Detecting the seriousness in his tone, Sally sat up straight, her ears pricked up in anticipation.

"I'm sure that while I was gone, you followed what I did through the news, right?" She nodded when he looked at her, "Well, this happened a bit after I went to that amusement park. You know, that one in space." He paused to let her think, then continued when she remembered the event. "After the emeralds disappeared, Tails and I left to search for them. We didn't exactly know why, but we felt as if we needed to find him."

"After we found a few of them, Eggman started searching as well. A lot of the time, he almost succeeded in grabbing them, but we always came out on top. Despite this, Eggman kept trying. He got more desperate as time passed, and slowly, his tactics became more vicious. It was as if the dictator in him was returning, and it almost scared me. Almost." Sonic paused and looked at Sally. "Did you know you were asleep for almost twenty four hours?"

He sure did get distracted easily. Rolling her eyes, Sally shook her head. "Continue."

"Right," Sonic nodded, "Sorry. Anyways, where was I? Ah yes," he tapped finger on his leg as he continued his train of thought. "Eventually, Tails and I gathered all the emeralds. By then, Eggman had a 'marvelous plan' that was apparently going to take care of us for good. We traveled to his base in an attempt to stop him, but we never expected for his plan to be so… disturbed."

"When we got there, he had his machine fired up and ready to go. It was like… some kind of deranged lumberjack. Covered in chainsaws, ready to 'cut down' any obstacle in the way… it was the very definition of deadly." Sonic's demeanor changed at that moment. "Tails told me to go super, but I told him that I was strong enough to handle it by myself. I attacked Eggman and acted as a distraction while Tails tried to look for something that could destroy the robot. I don't know what, but that doesn't really matter."

"What I didn't expect… was what was going to happen next. I thought I had it won. I was doing just fine when something changed. The robot got stronger. I don't know how, but suddenly, I wasn't winning any more. But did I go super? No, I didn't. I kept acting like the 'hero' I am." The pained expression on Sonic's face made Sally frown. "And then when Tails finally found out how to fix it, he got in the way and…" he swallowed and his brow furrowed, making Sally's heartbeat speed up. He was silent as he prepared himself to speak. "His leg… his right leg suddenly wasn't there and… I couldn't believe it. I hadn't been fast enough." Sally's mouth fell open, but Sonic continued.

"At that moment, I went super and destroyed Eggman's entire base, as well as his precious robot. It took less than five minutes with how angry I was. I'm still surprised that he got away…" he glared at his shoes as he spoke. "As soon as I was done, I picked up Tails and flew off as fast as I could. I don't know how long he had been without his leg, but I knew that no matter how long it had been, Tails wasn't going to be the same. There was so much blood. When I reached Station Square, the transformation ended. I kept running until I finally reached the hospital. By then I was out of breath and Tails had almost stopped breathing altogether."

"As soon as I got there, the doctors took him to an operating room. I stayed there for hours, waiting and hoping that he was going to be okay. I don't think that I've ever cried like I did on that day…" Sonic swallowed and took in a deep breath. "As soon as I got the news that he was in stable condition, I left. I didn't stop to talk to the doctors, visit Tails, or even talk to anyone else. Not Cream, not Vanilla, not Amy… even when everyone was asking me what happened, I ignored them. How was I going I supposed to tell them, much less face Tails when he woke up?"

"The next thing I did was visit Shadow. That's when I asked him to train me in the chaos arts. He rejected me a few times, but after a lot of begging, he finally agreed to teach me. A year later I finished my training. After that, I didn't do a whole lot. I traveled the world, ran around, practiced with the arts… it wasn't until the day that the forest burnt up that I actually saw anyone." He smiled at her. "I trained in the chaos arts so I'd be strong enough to protect my friends. Did you know that the person I thought about when I trained was you?" So Shadow had been truthful. Sonic smiled as he sat up straight and stared at the flames. "That's why I was so happy to see you that day. I was glad that it was you…"

Sally tried to smile, but she couldn't. She was touched by his words, but his story… it broke her heart. Without another word, the girl wrapped her arms around him. He smiled and hugged her back, and for a moment they were silent. "Thanks Sal." He whispered.

Sally nodded, and after the embrace ended, Sonic sat back. She gathered her thoughts and spoke, "Was the time we went to see Tails the first time you saw him since the accident?"

Sonic nodded, "Yep. I was a little surprised to see that he had a leg, but I remembered something that Uncle Chuck had told me a little while ago, so I didn't freak out. I'm good at hiding my shock when I want to, but enough about that." He had thrown the expression of sadness out the window and replaced it with a curious one. "I told you my story, now you need to tell me yours." For a second she was confused, but then she remembered what he had said earlier.

Sally sighed, "The Freedom Fighters?" Sonic nodded, "Well…" she folded her legs in a criss-cross style as she sighed. "Alright. But I'm warning you, you're going to want to strangle a certain someone after this." She paused for a moment before she looked at him again. "Shortly after you left the Freedom Fighters, we started struggling with missions. It may sound a little funny, but after you left, I realized how important you were to our numbers. We couldn't have a successful mission without losing a Freedom Fighter, and it got to the point where it seemed as if more Freedom Fighters were being roboticized than rescued."

"Eventually he—Eggman—captured a Freedom Fighter that he really shouldn't have. You remember Hershey Cat, right? During a particularly important mission, Antoine messed up and we were discovered. Hershey however, was able to distract the swatbots and other robots long enough for us to escape, but she didn't get away. We were all devastated that we lost her, especially her husband."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Hershey got married?"

Sally nodded, "To Geoffery St. John." Sonic's other eyebrow rose in surprise as she continued. "Anyways… being who he was, Geoffery was furious. He kept on trying to convince us to go back and rescue her, but at the time, the loses that would have occurred if we had tried outweighed the benefits. After we denied him his request, he did the only thing he could have. He went straight to the man himself and offered him a deal. The location of Knothole for his wife." At that point in the story, Sonic's mouth fell open, similarly to how Sally's had earlier.

"By this time, we were nothing but a bothersome insect to him, but one he wished to eradicate nonetheless. Eggman accepted, and Geoffery gave him the information he wanted. He got his wife back and…" Sally's expression soon was taken over by fury. "He personally led the invasion on Knothole. We didn't stand a chance."

Gritting her teeth, Sally began to ball her hands into fists. "I watched my fellow Freedom Fighters go down without a fight. Some were killed on the spot, but others were taken as prisoners. My parents, Antoine, Rotor, Bunnie… they were all taken away. Even your parents were dragged away, Sonic." Sonic's eyes grew wide, and he soon began to join Sally in on the fury. "I wanted to do something, but just as I was about to try and help one of the Freedom Fighters—Bunnie—Elias grabbed my hand and led me off."

"I didn't want to hide, but Elias insisted. Within all the panic, no one noticed us running around, so no one tried to stop us. While they didn't notice us running, I didn't notice that Elias had taken Nicole. By the time I did notice, he had brought me to this random tree stump. He pressed a button or something and the whole thing opened up into this weird hole. Then he handed me Nicole and without another word, pushed me down. I was knocked out when I hit the ground and I was out for a few hours. When I woke up, it was really quiet. I tried activating Nicole, but she didn't respond. Instead, I started feeling around for a light switch or something. When I finally did, I was surprised to discover that the place was a panic room."

"There was a video feed area, so I turned it on. When I did, I discovered that there was no one left in Knothole. No one except for Geoffery. He was talking on a weird wrist-watch communicator, and when I turned up the audio feed, I heard him telling Eggman that it had been successful. He informed Eggman that I was the only that escaped, but after that, he left. I waited for a few hours before coming out, and by then I had figured out that Elias had deleted Nicole's memory. I was literally alone." Sally sighed then looked Sonic directly in the eye. "And do you want to know the worst part? The raid happened on my birthday."

Sonic shook his head, disbelief and anger pulsing through his blood. "I'm sorry, Sal."

Sally nodded, "It's okay." She looked around for a moment before continuing. "I was by myself for two weeks before Eggman torched the place. And after that, you know the rest of the story."

Sonic nodded and spoke, "That really sucks Sal. I wish I would have been there to do something. If I hadn't left, none of that would happened, would it?"

"Sonic, don't go blaming yourself. If it's anyone's fault, it's Geoffery's."

"Yes," Sonic stated, "And you were right. I _do_ want to strangle him. The moment I find him, I'm going to wring him by the neck…" Sally smiled at his comment and nodded.

"I think I'll help you when we find him." Sally told him.

"Sure thing! I'll hold him down, and you'll wring his neck until he's the same color I am." Sally laughed, and Sonic smiled softly at her words. Despite the dark atmosphere of their stories, they were still able to find a laugh. After she calmed down, Sonic nodded, "Sal, we'll find the Freedom Fighters. After we defeat Eggman, that will be the very first thing we do. I promise that no matter what, we will save them."

Sally smiled gently. "Thank you Sonic."

He grinned back at her, "Anything for you Sal."

All she could do was smile back. She didn't really know what to say, but at that moment, she really didn't need to. It was similar to the last time she hadn't known what to say. One second she was without words, the next she was being kissed by Sonic. Her hearts skipped a beat, and when he sat back, her cheeks were red. His soft smile only made her cheeks stay rosy. "Sonic…" She whispered, still wordless in her shock.

"Sal, I meant every word I said yesterday. I love you." Sally swallowed and nodded, "I'm sorry about the fight; about both fights. And I'm especially sorry about leaving the Freedom Fighters. Sal, I'm going to make it up to you." He grabbed her hands, "I promise that I'm not going to let you get hurt, no matter what. We'll find the Freedom Fighters, and when we do, we're going to bring Eggman down; permanently."

Sally stared at him and smiled. He had no idea how much his words meant to her. "Thank you." Cautiously, she leaned forward and hugged him. The hedgehog hugged her back, and at that moment, she felt totally at peace. At that moment, she knew that everything was going to be fine. "I love you too Sonic."

The hug lasted for a few more seconds before they sat back and looked at each other. "That's my girl." He told her, poking her nose for some reason. Her nose twitched, and Sonic raised his eyebrows. "Hey…" Sonic poked her nose again, making it twitch yet again.

"Stop that!" Sally exclaimed, pushing Sonic away. Sonic laughed and leaned forward.

"Ha! Take that!" He poked her nose yet again, making her nose twitch once more.

"You weird-o!" She exclaimed, "I don't do this to you!"

Sonic laughed as he nodded, then sat back in his spot. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. It's just fun to mess with. You know that right?"

Sally rolled her eyes, "You are strange." She stood up and walked over to her vest and boots. "Hm…" She hummed as she picked up her vest. "Do you think we should start heading to the next temple?" Sally asked, putting the vest back on in the process.

Sonic stood up and nodded. "Yeah, that would be best. Like I told you before, the last thing we want is for Tails to find out that we're behind on our schedule."

The princess smirked, "Yes, to be chewed out by an eleven year old is the scariest thing on Mobius."

He rolled his eyes, "If you were in my shoes, you'd know what I mean."

"Well I'm not. In fact, I'm not even in my own boots."

Sonic shook his head and folded his arms. "You are very skilled in the art of sarcasm."

"I learned from the best." Sally told him, putting her hands on her hips.

He nodded, "You sure did."

Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket, kneeling down in the process so she could put on her boots. "Let's see… the next temple isn't too terriblely far. By the time we get there it will be night, so when we get there, we should rest first. Sound good?"

Sonic nodded, "Sounds like a plan." He stated, reaching his hand out to hers when she finished putting on her boots. Once she was on her feet, he spoke. "You ready?"

Sally nodded with a peaceful smile on her face. "Of course." The hedgehog scooped the princess in his arms, "Thank you, Sonic."

"No problem. What are boyfriends for?" He asked, flashing his signature grin. With that, he dashed off towards the next temple, holding his precious princess in his arms.

* * *

><p>Astounding. Astonishing. Shocking. What other way was there to describe how Sonic had effortlessly destroyed—mutilated—his robots? It had taken mere seconds for the hedgehog to destroy some of his greatest work, and now all Dr. Eggman could do was gap. He had watched the video countless times, but it blew his mind whenever he watched it. Was it possible that the infernal hedgehog was really <em>that <em>powerful? He knew that the hedgehog was strong, but was he really _that_ strong? On one hand, it worried him slightly. Would the final battle with the hedgehog be too much, or would it be an equal match? He knew not…

Growling, the doctor rewound the video and watched it again. There was something about his rival's skills that were making him nervous. No, nervous wasn't the word, but what was? He shook his head as he analyzed the video for what felt like the fortieth time. It didn't matter. All that did was the fact that Sonic had grown much stronger. It only made the anticipation of his next battle even—

"If you're going to sit there and watch the same video over and over, you might as well first give me an order so I don't have to watch it too." Dr. Eggman growled, turning back to his nephew. "At least get some popcorn while you're at it."

Dr. Eggman gritted his teeth as he stomped over. "You are in no place to say anything, Snively. If I remember correctly, it is you who is under my service!"

He folded his arms, sitting back in his chair. "I don't remember agreeing to be your 'servant.' Besides, what I speak is the truth. You are watching the video, but you are doing anything about it."

Yes, he was right. Gosh darn it, "Then what am I supposed to do about it? I've already tested him once."

"You're past the stage of testing. Now you need to make it seem like you're actually trying. He needs to know that he's not the only player of the game." Snively told him.

The doctor hummed, stroking his marvelous mustache in the process. "Go on."

Snively sighed. "Must I explain everything to you?" He turned in his chair to the screen before him. "I suggest another invasion, but one made of robots that could actually survive more than one hit." He pulled up an image of a few Swatbots, but models that were different than what Dr. Eggman was used to. "I've been working on plans to a more advanced model of an old robot you used. Although it is more difficult to make than your standard 'eggbot,' it is much sturdier and it will last longer. Quantity over quality, as I would say." Snively explained as he turned back. "Of course, you can still use your traditional eggbot in the invasion, but to use a few elite soldiers would benefit you greatly."

Dr. Eggman hummed, "Well Snively… I have to admit, that idea is not half bad." He put on a malicious grin that reminded him of his days as a dictator, "Of course, you will have to be the one to lead the invasion."

Snively sighed and nodded, "I expected as much. As long as you have the supplies, then I guess I have no reason to refuse. Besides, I would like to see that hedgehog suffer just as much as you would."

"Good boy, Snively." Eggman told him. He looked up, "Computer, analyze Swatbot model plans. Create a minimum of fifty Swatbot model twos based on materials on hand."

The computer made a few beeps, "Yes, doctor." The device went to work, and Eggman looked down at his nephew.

"You will not disappoint me, Snively. Make sure that you at least hit him on the head."

Snively nodded and spoke sarcastically, "Yes sir, right away sir."

Dr. Eggman growled and glared at him for a few moments before turning on the heel and walking out of the room. Hopefully, Snively's plan was going to at least put a dent in the hedgehog's head. If he didn't… well, it wasn't going to be only Dr. Eggman that was going to have a headache. The attitude he had been receiving was not appreciated, and the doctor was ready to throw Snively out the window. Of course, that would have resulted in Snively dying from lack of oxygen… on second thought, that didn't seem like such a bad idea.

The doctor shook his head and continued down the hall. He needed Snively in his plans whether he liked it or not. Patience was the key… and at the moment, so was some headache medicine.

* * *

><p>Yay, I finished another chapter! :D Wee... Was it less angsty? I think so. It did have some darker themes, but that was a given. It was time that all of you found out about that stuff... pretty interesting, huh? And they're finally a couple! Hooray!<p>

Hm. Don't know what else to say. What did you guys think? Reviews would be very much appreciated. Oh, and down with ACTA! So yeah. Until next time!


	19. Eye of the Storm

**Chapter 19: Eye of the Storm**

The winds still raging and the clouds exploding with ferocious bursts of light and sound, Sonic couldn't help but stare at the sight before him. As to be expected, there was a series of near-black clouds, vicious winds, and the largest body of water on Mobius. It was intimidating, to say the least. To any passerby, the tempest would have been terrifying to even view for a moment. No longer was it a simple storm that was affecting a small piece of the continent, but a hurricane that was flying across all of Mobius. And of course, the whole ordeal just had to be connected to the fifth emerald.

After leaving the cave, Sonic and Sally had headed directly to the next temple. They had traveled for the course of the entire day, only resting when nightfall was near. When they decided to sleep, the temple had only been a few miles away, and the two were sure that they were soon going to have the next emerald in their possession. Dawn came, and when Sally examined Nicole, she was met with a shocking surprise. The temple was in a different spot than where they had thought it had been.

At first, Sally panicked and went through a series of worst case scenarios. What if Nicole had a glitch? What if Eggman had retrieved the emerald? Despite her worry, Sonic was able to calm her down after awhile. Since the emerald was only a few more miles away than they had originally thought, Sonic was able to convince her that it was no problem. He was the fastest thing alive, so how bad was a few more miles? With that argument, Sally let her nerves die down.

Of course, her "calm" nature did not last long. Running to the temple was one thing, but finding it was another. To their shock when they reached the "location" of the temple, they found nothing but a series of trees and grasses. At that moment, confusion was an understatement to what they were feeling. When coupled with all of the stormy weather and trials they had gone through, the disappearance of the fifth temple quickly stressed out the princess. Sonic, although he kept his composure cool and collected, was rather annoyed with the issue as well.

They spent the next few days searching for the temple within a twenty mile radius of its location on Nicole. The two looked up around the hills, under the rocks, and in special occasions, Sally went swimming to see if it was underwater. Unfortunately after two days of searching, they still had not seen even a glimpse of the temple, and they were quickly beginning to lose hope. Add the fact that the rain was getting worse every day, and the two were ready to beat their heads on the walls.

Finally after several long hours of searching on the sixteenth day of Eggman's twenty-nine day limit, Sonic finally yelled out, "Where is that stupid temple?" He clamped his eyes shut, still soaked, his head turned to the sky. The hedgehog disliked water in most of its forms, and since it still wasn't leaving him alone, he was ready to scream.

Sonic sighed when Sally walked over and hugged him. He put his arms around her and slowly opened his eyes. The rain that surrounded them almost seemed to tease him. They were never going to find the temple, never find the emerald, and they were not going to be able to save anyone. The thought in itself drove him crazy. Silently, Sonic glared at the structure above him, hoping that eventually, the wind—and the rain—would die down.

Wait. The structure… above him? Without a word, the hedgehog made a fast and large motion with his arms, "Chaos control!" And the water around them stood still. He stared at it for a few moments, making sure that what he was thinking was true. Above him was a floating structure that was moving. It was moving! Although he realized that he had found it, Sonic didn't smile at the temple.

Eventually, Sally looked up as well. She too was surprised when she saw it, but the shock of its location soon morphed into irritation. After several hours of following the temple, they had recognized that they had no mode of transportation that would let them actually reach the structure. They followed it for a little while longer until finally, the two became too tired to care. Sonic and Sally went to sleep, and in the morning, the temple had found a humble abode over the ocean itself.

And finally, Sonic could only sit there and watch. Surrounding the temple—now that it was above water and had the resources—was a wicked storm filled with lightning and water. At the moment, the hero and the princess were stumped. How on Mobius were they going to reach it? After an eternity of silence, Sally spoke.

"Can't we chaos control up there?"

Sonic turned to her, "Unless I've been somewhere before or I can see it in plain sight, I can't chaos control to any certain place. If I do now, there's a danger of us falling in the ocean. It's one of the disadvantages of chaos abilities." He explained. "And even if I could, there is a lot of interference right now. Guess what kind?"

Sally sighed as she folded her arms. "Chaos energy."

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner." Sonic sighed in a semi-serious tone. "What would you like for your prize?"

"A piece of cheese." Sally sighed, making Sonic chuckle. The girl smiled softly at his response before she looked back to the temple.

Sonic nodded to himself as he returned his gaze to the structure. He himself did have an idea that he knew would get them to the temple, but he did not want to use it. At the moment, he was having a battle in his mind. Was he to do it and break a self made promise, or to not do it and jeopardize the world? In reality, the first option had less significant consequences.

"So… this is floating island number what?" Sally asked, making Sonic raise an eyebrow.

"If I'm right…" Sonic paused to think, "Four. There's Angel island, the island with the time stones, and the island of the Babylon Rouges. Now there's this too."

Sally hummed, "Not very special at this point, huh?"

Sonic shook his head, "Nope." He sighed as he looked up once again. At that moment, he silently decided. Although it went against everything he had promised, he knew that there wasn't any other option at that moment.

"I bet you anything that whatever is in there has the emerald. Right?" Sally asked, pointing a finger in Sonic's face.

Sonic nodded, keeping his eyes on the temple as he snatched Nicole from her pocket. Sally nodded her head in response and reached for Nicole. The hedgehog had been so fast that she hadn't realized he had grabbed it. When she realized such, she had to do a double take from her pocket to Sonic's hand. Within a few seconds, Sonic was walking off, typing on the little computer.

"I really didn't want to do this," Sonic whispered as Sally followed quickly behind, "But I don't really have a choice at this point."

"Sonic, what are you talking about?" Sally asked.

The hedgehog didn't respond, but simply waited as he watched Nicole. After a few seconds, a voice rang from Nicole. "Hello?"

"Hey Tails." The hedgehog sighed a heavy breathe, "How fast can you get here with the tornado?"

* * *

><p>What was going through Sonic's mind at the moment? How conflicted was he in calling Tails? After what had happened to the poor boy a few years ago, it was no wonder that Sonic disliked having Tails come. Of course, given the circumstances, there weren't any other choices. They had searched all across the shore-line and the edges of the cliff where they were currently sitting, and it had been confirmed that there was no other way to get to the temple. If there had been another route, Sally was sure that Sonic would have taken it within a heartbeat.<p>

Sighing, Sally looked back at Sonic. At the moment, the two were sitting under a tree that was being shielded with a powerful chaos spell. Sonic was leaning back against the tree, wearing a semi-calm, semi-conflicted expression with his fingers interlocked behind his head. Sally was sitting next to him, her legs crossed as she gazed at him. She wished that there was some way to calm his nerves. In a way, his anxiety scared her.

Silently, Sally reached out and pulled one of his arms from its hiding place and started running her fingers across it. She let just her fingertips brush against it, making his arm twitch slightly. Ah, so it tickled the hedgehog. Smiling to herself, Sally continued to sweep her fingers up and down his forearm. The act in itself was quite entertaining, and when she heard Sonic chuckle, she smiled to herself. Just as she was about to continue the action once again, the hedgehog put the arm she had been playing with around her and pulled her closer to him.

Sally smiled softly, letting the hedgehog rest his head on her shoulder, his eyes closed. He must have been tired, for the stillness he had was out of place and unlike him. Usually, the hedgehog was stretching instead of sleeping during his periods of "rest." With that thought in mind, Sally spoke.

"Tired, Sonic?"

He nodded, opening his eyes. "More than you know."

"I'd bet. I don't know how you do all that running." Sally smiled.

Narrowing his eyes, Sonic smirked, "Very carefully. You see, I put one foot in front of the other—"

"I know that you turd." She smiled, rolling her eyes in the process. Sonic chuckled to himself as he grabbed her closer hand, holding it carefully. Sighing, Sally continued. "Are you… worried about going into the temple with Tails?"

Sonic was silent for a second before speaking, "Of course I am. Heck, every time I go into a temple with you I'm worried. Any time I go on an adventure with anyone, I'm worried that they'll get hurt. That's why I usually go solo."

The princess hummed for a second. "Well, you don't need to worry. You know that Tails is fast and smart enough to get through the temple, and you know that I'm not so bad at this either."

The hedgehog chuckled, "I know that Sal. It's just that last time when he was in trouble; I wasn't fast enough to save him. Plus there was that time in the fire temple when you got burned…"

"Sonic, you can't save everyone every time. That's just a fact of life." Sally told him, watching as he squeezed her hand. "And just because you didn't rescue him that one time doesn't mean that you're a failure."

He sighed, "I know. It's just… being a hero, you get used to being successful all the time. When you actually don't succeed, it's like you've failed not only yourself, but everyone. It's just the worst feeling…"

"I can see where you're coming from. But you know what?" Sally asked as she stood up, "You still saved him, and it's not like I have a scar to prove that I was ever hurt."

Sonic was silent, then nodded. "Yeah." He smiled slightly, standing up. "I guess that whatever happens won't be too bad. Besides… it's not like you guys will run into danger head-first. That's my job, anyways." He told her smugly, making her roll her eyes.

"Yes, that is your job, genius." She laughed, punching him in the shoulder in the process. "You are such a dork."

Sonic let out a triumphant "ha," and nodded, "Yes, but I'm your dork."

Sally laughed, "Oh joy."

Sonic smiled at her for a moment before looking up at the sky. The sound was very quiet, but he recognized it instantly. A knot formed in his throat as he watched the blue aircraft enter his field of vision. His confidence quickly waned as the plane grew closer to the area they were standing in. Just as he was about to convert his joyful expression into a frown, Sally grabbed his hand.

"Hey," She whispered, "It's going to be okay."

He stared at her blankly before nodding with a subtle smile. "Yeah."

* * *

><p>Soon after Sonic had first seen it, the Tornado landed. It was a soft and nearly flawless procedure, and as soon as it had come to a complete halt, the boy driving it shot up out of his seat. As the hedgehog had expected, Tails was ecstatic. He was finally going to go on an adventure with Sonic. Sonic was sure that there wasn't a thing on Mobius that would have made the fox happier.<p>

Tails ran up to Sonic first, "Sonic, I came as fast as I could!" He exclaimed with a large grin, making Sonic smile.

"You did a good job getting here fast." Sonic told him, doing his best to hide his discomfort.

Tails nodded and turned to Sally, "So, what's the situation?"

Sally grabbed Nicole out of her pocket, smiling slightly in the process. "As you can tell, there's a pretty intense storm that way." Tails nodded, and Sonic walked off to stare at the most concentrated section of clouds. "We've been looking for a few days now, and we've found out that the next emerald is in the center of the storm. We have no way to get there; however, because Sonic can't chaos control up there."

Tails nodded, "Because it'd be too risky?"

"That, and there's interference." Sally told him, looking over at the blue hedgehog, who was staring at the temple once again. "We need your help reaching the temple, and presumably, help fighting whatever is in there with the emerald."

Tails nodded, "No problem! I can get you guys to the island, no sweat."

"Good," Sally smiled, turning to Sonic. "You ready?"

Sonic observed the storm for one more second before nodding, "Yep." He turned to them once again, a slight smile on his face. "Time to retrieve emerald number five!"

Sally raised an eyebrow, "That was a weird way to say it."

"Don't judge me." Sonic ordered, folding his arms.

"Wait…" Tails whispered, "You're only on emerald number five?"

Sonic froze in place. The very thing he had been fearing. "Uh… yeah. Why?"

Tails face transformed into a look that was a combination of frustration, stress, and anger. Although it was serious in nature, it was miss-fitted on the eleven year old boy. In all honesty, it looked as if he was trying to see how big he could make his frown, or as if someone had just fed him a distasteful radish. Without a second to suppress it, Sonic burst into laughter, and of course, Tails had to join in as well. Sally couldn't help but giggle at the two boys either. Seeing the best friends together always made her smile.

* * *

><p>Although the Tornado had the room to seat two people, Sonic and Sally both chose to stand on the wings of the plane. Tails didn't argue though, because he was sure that the two knew what they were doing. If they had done it before, then it was going to be no problem now, right? Plus, they had already been through so much that a little plane ride didn't seem like anything too difficult. After several chaos incantations to protect the Tornado from any part of the storm, Tails prepared the Tornado for takeoff, ready for anything.<p>

The engine buzzed when it turned on, and within a few seconds, the aircraft was moving forward. Sonic and Sally exchanged glances and nodded, then looked at Tails. It sure had been a long time since either of them had gone flying. How much had the fox improved since their last flight? In a few moments, the two were going to find out.

When the air plane left the edge of cliff, they were pleased to discover that Tails had improved on his pilot skills, as well as his abilities when it came to fixing up a machine. The ride was mostly undisturbed despite the wind, and luckily, it was traveling so nicely that neither the princess nor the hero stumbled. Except for the occasion strikes of lightning in the distance, it appeared as if it was going to be nothing but smooth sailing for the day.

With that thought in mind, Sonic relaxed his position slightly and looked at Sally. She was totally concentrated on keeping her balance, not taking a second to examine the area around her. Smiling, Sonic folded his arms. "Relax Sal! It's not going to be any easier if your body is tense!" Sally raised her eyebrows at his remark, but complied nonetheless.

He smiled as he watched her attempts of keeping balance with a relaxed position. A few times, she started leaning back to the point where she'd flail her arms in a wild attempt to regain her spot on the wing. With several of those times, he whispered quiet chaos incantations that helped her regain that balance, and when she realized it, she smiled. "You don't have to help me out so much, Sonic."

Shrugging, Sonic laughed. "I just don't want to see you fall. Although, your screaming never fails to amuse me…"

Sally rolled her eyes, "Always so considerate of others. Someone please, give him a medal of honor."

Jokingly, Sonic bowed. "I'd like to thank everyone that made this award possible!" Sally folded her arms and chuckled, and Tails' grin widened. "Particularly the beautiful Miss. Acorn, and the awesome Miles Prower. What would I do without them?"

"You'd be a lonely hedgehog that would talk to himself all day." Sally retorted.

Tails chuckled, "I could actually see that happening."

Sonic narrowed his eyes, "Ah, I see. Gang up on the hedgehog, huh? This is because I'm blue, isn't?" The two laughed at him, and Sonic soon chuckled as well. Perhaps nothing bad was going to happen…

After a few seconds of silence, Tails spoke. "So… I'm curious. I have a question to ask you two, but I'm just not sure of how to word it."

"Just ask bud! The worst you can do is slaughter the sentence." Sonic exclaimed.

"Okay…" Tails bit his lip, "Um… are you two… you know—"

"Madly in love? Forever promising to be with each other? Oh Tails, what gave you that idea? It couldn't be the fact that when I gaze upon her, that I stare in the most lovingly way possible, right?" Sonic smiled, making Sally roll her eyes yet again.

Tails laughed at his response, then spoke again. "But in all seriousness, are you two together?"

Sonic let out a triumphant laugh, "Yep!"

Sally nodded, "Despite his odd way of showing it, it's true." She looked over at Sonic, smiling at him. Sonic grinned back, making Tails smile.

"Yes! I was hoping you two would end up together!" Tails exclaimed, making Sonic and Sally raise his eyebrows.

"I thought that you weren't one for romance." Sally laughed.

"Well…" Tails sighed, "This is different."

"Is this what I think it is? Is Tails really okay with romance? I never thought I'd see the day!" Sonic exclaimed. "Maybe I'll give Sally a big kiss just to make sure?" Sally rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, but she shrugged nonetheless.

"And what if I don't let you kiss me?" Sally asked him.

Sonic laughed, "There are ways, my friend. Or should I say girlfriend?"

Tails chuckled, "You guys are goofy. It's been too quiet without both of you."

The blue hedgehog nodded toward his friend, then looked forward once again. They were getting close to the temple. Within a few minutes, they'd be inside, retrieving the emerald. The three of them. It was probably going to be fun, when he sat down and thought about it. Sighing, Sonic nodded. So far so good. Perhaps he'd—

A sharp and sudden pain on his left forearm made Sonic yelp and cringe, resulting in his friends gasping. What on Mobius? Gritting his teeth, Sonic turned and looked behind the Tornado, allowing his eyes to grow wide. Of course. "Of all the times…" Sonic sighed, "Do you have to bother me now?"

Sally turned, and Tails glanced back to see an Egg-Fleet made up of countless robots and ships. Ah, what a lucky day it was. Growling, Sonic stood up. "I don't know why he's only starting to mess with us now." He took one of the various emeralds out, "Chaos regeneration." Sonic whispered, cringing slightly as he watched the skin close up.

The princess shrugged, "Well, you'll be able to have some fun with this, right?"

Sonic paused, then nodded as he made the emerald disappear. "Yeah, you're right. At least I can—whoa!" Sonic exclaimed as he and the princess ducked, avoiding a series of gun-shots in the process. "Sheesh, they like to play rough. Of course…" Sonic smiled deviously and flew up, "So do I!" The hedgehog jumped off the plane, stayed suspended in the air for a few precious seconds and dashed forward. Within a blink of an eye, he hit the nearest Eggbot with a jump dash attack, destroying it almost instantly.

Without taking a moment to examine his situation, Sonic flew off toward several more Eggbots. He destroyed them in the same fashion, performing jump dash after jump dash. Some tried to fly off in the separate direction when he headed their way, but as suspected, they were much too slow. Not even giving them a moment to ponder what to do (if they could), Sonic continued to attack the robots, mutilating them one at a time without breaking a sweat. Just like last time, the Eggbots were not enough.

The realization made Sonic smile. If he could effortlessly demolish that many robots so quickly, than the rest of the force was going to be a piece of cake. He performed another homing attack toward the closest enemy, his confidence over-whelming. Just as he was about to slice through the metallic creation, something happened that he hadn't expected in the slightest. A back-handed slap made the hedgehog fly back, breaking his concentration in the process. For a brief moment, it appeared as if he was going to fall to his doom.

Sonic eventually found his bearings and recognizing that he was falling, he yelled out, "Chaos control!" With a flash of light, Sonic was back on the left wing of the Tornado. What was with that robot? It had treated like a fly that had to be swatting away.

Swat. Swatted away. With a level of shock filling his heart, Sonic turned back to the robots. Just as he had he expected. "No way." He whispered, his eyes growing wide. Following the Tornado was not only a force of countless Eggbots, but a robot that he hadn't seen in years. Swatbots. And to make the bad situation worse, they were flying. When had Eggman found time to recreate those?

As if his realization had triggered some sort of anger in the Swatbots, the robots all went into a trigger happy frenzy. Sonic yelped, Sally screeched, but Tails kept his ground. Gritting his teeth, Tails called out, "Hold on guys!" Suddenly, the Tornado took a very sudden angle of descent, resulting in Sonic and Sally shouting out once again.

The two felt a sensation of weightlessness that made their stomachs churn for an instant, then reached their arms out in a wild attempt to grab hold of the wings. They barely grabbed the wings just in time to be tugged downwards. Sally felt as if she was going to throw up, but despite the severity of their situation, Sonic simply smiled. Even if it was a crazy ride, it was a fun one all the same! Laughing, Sonic glanced over at Sally. How was she holding on? It didn't really matter, but based on her expression, she probably should have fallen off.

Just as sudden as the descent had been, the fox abruptly pulled the Tornado up, the enemies following close behind. The tug of gravity almost made the two lose their grip, but they were able to hold on long enough for them to become level with the temple once again. When Sonic glanced back at the remaining force, he was pleased to see that half of the remaining Eggbots had been stupid enough to dive into the ocean. Smiling, Sonic nodded.

"Smart idea, Tails!" he exclaimed. Unfortunately, the Swatbots were all still there, as well as an elite ship that he hadn't been able to see earlier.

"Thanks, but we're not out of the fire yet!" And once again, the words seemed to activate some sort of chain reaction. At that instant, the remaining Eggbots and the Swatbots began firing. Growling, Tails yelled, "Better hold on tight!"

The second time around, Tails did not try to lead the robots into the water. He twisted the plane around, waved back and forth in large serpentine motions, and at one point, began to swirl the plane in a very quick spiral. At that point in time, Sonic was laughing in enjoyment, Tails was strictly concentrated on keeping the plane from getting hit, and Sally was screaming. All in all, it was a very unusual sight.

After a few more seconds of spiraling, the plane came to a regular angle once again. Tails looked back at Sonic, who was regaining his balance. "Did we lose them?"

Sonic glanced back. "Some more Eggbots are gone, but all the Swatbots are still there."

"Wait, Swatbots?" Tails exclaimed, turning his head further back. "Holy cow! They're flying! That's crazy!"

Sally spoke, in a nervous tone, obviously not facing the army force. "Uh… guys?"

"How did he do that? When did Eggman create flying Swatbots?" Tails ignored her for a moment, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and shock.

Sonic shrugged, "Beats me." He exhaled, turning back as Tails did the same. Suddenly, he realized why Sally's tone had been so worried. The Tornado was a mere fifty feet away was the island, and they were going to crash into it. For a moment they stared at it, unsure of what to do. Then, they all screamed in unison.

The fox boy tried to maneuver away from the island, but at that point it was too late. Realizing such, the blue hedgehog threw his hand out as his instincts took control, "CHAOS CONTROL!" He yelled, his heart racing. With the action and the words, the aircraft disappeared and reappeared above the island. At that point, the fleet of followers was in utter chaos, unsuccessfully led by the elite aircraft.

"This is getting crazy!" Tails exclaimed, "We can't stay up in the air like this! We need to land!" Sally nodded in agreement, and Sonic did the same. Something was telling him that there was a sinister force in the air. What was it? It was a familiar aura… he had felt it before. The name was right on the tip of his tongue and just as it came to him; a laser from one of the Swatbots hit the left wing. Its force knocked Sonic off the Tornado, and sent the aircraft in a downward spiral. Just before it happened; however, Sonic caught the eye of the man that was leading the robots. There was no time to speak though, for the hedgehog was falling at a rapid speed.

Luckily, Sonic landed on the island. He let out a loud, "Oof!" when he landed (as he had landed flat on his stomach). For a moment, he sat there, a little dazed. Then he stood up, shaking his head as he looked around anxiously. Where were Sally and Tails? It was as if someone had heard his thoughts, for in the next few seconds, the Tornado went spiraling downward into one of the trees on the island. At first, Sonic thought that Sally and Tails were still on it and his heart skip a beat, but when he heard the propeller-like sound of two tails, Sonic looked up.

Tails was slowly descending, holding Sally by her hands. She was shaken up, as usual, and it made Sonic raise his eyebrows. What was she going to say when she landed; or was she going to say anything at all? Silently, Tails set her down and landed next to Sonic. His expression was panicked, but not nearly as frightened as Sally's. Despite this, it was obvious that he was determined to leave the line of fire.

Sonic nodded at him, "No point in hanging around. Last thing we want is for Snively to take one of us out." At the mention of the villain, Sally and Tails' expression transformed into one of surprise.

"Snively?" Tails exclaimed in shock.

"Is leading the fleet. I suggest that—ah!" Sonic exclaimed, the entire group jumping back in order to avoid another shot. He glanced up at the force, gritting his teeth together. "We need to go!"

Tails and Sally nodded, and with that, Sonic picked up the princess and ran off toward the temple, Tails following close behind. The building itself was surrounded by a beautifully catered yard, delicately created paths, and flawless collections of flowers and shrubs. Although it appeared to be so young, there was an ageless quality to the place, and deep inside, Sonic knew that it was much older than it appeared. With thought that in mind, Sonic wondered if there was going to be another of those rhymes.

When they reached the twin doors, Sonic found that his assumption had been right. Sonic put the girl down, and she took the opportunity step forward and read the writing on the doors. "The only thing worse than lightning and ice is their sharp and cruel deathly bites." Sonic raised his eyebrows. Interesting…

"Lightning?" Tails whispered, his voice brimming with fear. Sonic glanced back at Tails, remembering that the boy still had a fear of the mysterious substance. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder, nodding to him.

"Don't worry bud. If we can make it through all that, we can definitely make it through all of this." Sonic told him, motioning toward the temple before him. Tails nodded silently, and the two looked up at the door again. Sally was pushing on the doors as hard as she could, making Sonic smile.

"Need some help?" He asked, walking toward the double doors.

She nodded, "I don't like the idea of being close to Snively."

Sonic nodded in agreement, putting his hands on the two entryways. With a shove they flew open, and for a moment, all that was heard was the intense wind of the growing hurricane. Then the sound of gunshots and Swatbots following them made the three dash in, close the doors behind them, and stare at the temple before them. It took a moment for all of it to settle in, but when it did, they were instantly over-whelmed.

The fox was the first to speak, "Holy cow." And his words justified what they saw.

* * *

><p>Yay! I finally got it done! :D This one took awhile, but I promise, the next one will not take so long! Hope you guys will be looking forward to it!<p>

This one was rather fun to write. :) Review please!


	20. Enter: The Storm Temple

** Chapter 20: Enter: The Storm Temple**

It was one thing when it looked as if a hurricane had hit a room, but for a hurricane to actually be in a room was another. There was no single word that could have properly described the sight before them. Spreading across the room in large, spiraling motions were—to their shock—micro climates that were boasting their own tiny storms. Icy crystals, raging winds, and endless drops of water hailed from the clouds, making the three gap in astonishment. From the first glance, it appeared as if someone had taken a chunk of the sky and had cut it from the atmosphere, then pasted it onto the ceiling of the temple. Yes, one word would have been too weak to explain it. Tails' two words, on the other hand, had sufficed.

For a moment, all they could do was stop and stare. Then, after a minute or two of examining and trying to work their way around the utter hysteria, Sonic stepped forward. "Let's go."

His sure and steady voice made Sally shake her head, releasing her from her temporary daze. "Over there?" She inquired, still trying to grasp everything before her.

He nodded, "Not sure where else the emerald could be. Speaking of which, could you check where it is in this building?" She nodded in response, pulling her computer out of her pocket as Sonic turned to Tails. He too was facing difficulties in making sense of everything. Smiling, Sonic placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You ready?"

Tails looked up at him, his brow furrowed in a tight knot. For a moment, the words were foreign and odd to him. It was as if someone had spoken through a thick blanket, the way Tails' failed to comprehend Sonic's words. What exactly was he meaning? Ready to brace the storms ahead? Then, all at once, it made sense. His face lit up as the realization struck him, and it made Sonic's grin widen. After years of waiting, Tails was going to run with Sonic. No, he was going to run with his brother.

Something deeper and stronger than excitement swallowed them whole. Without pausing to explain it to her, Sonic scooped the princess up in his arms, ignoring the fact that she was examining Nicole. She voiced her surprise in a soft gasp, but there wasn't another chance for her to speak. The two no longer could hear the voice of any outsider, for it was no longer about finding the emerald, or even proving who was the best. At that moment, all that mattered was the wind and the increasing speed of their hearts.

It left Sally speechless. She had forgotten that Tails could keep up with Sonic. He had had followed him for years on countless other journeys, and never once had he displayed any difficulty trailing behind Sonic, even though he wasn't nearly as fast. Running… how much did it really mean to them? Though for others it was a tiring and strenuous activity, it was much different for Sonic and Tails. When they were flying with the wind across the land, it was as if… they were different people. They were no longer the two children who had grown up under the oppresive rule of Dr. Robotnik, or even the boys who carried the weight of the whole world. With each step, a chain link was ripped from their conscience. Past titles and saddened memories no longer mattered when they were running. So long as their feet were moving, they were free.

Though she was never going to voice it, she was a little jealous. She knew that the two still had worries and issues, but the fact was that they had a release from it made her envious. When they needed to clear their minds, all they had to do was run. Because of it, Sonic had grown to be as laid back as he was, and Tails was able to find other things he liked to do. It was when he ran with Sonic that his greatest ideas spawned. If only she would have been able to do something like it. Her mind was always on "princess" matters, and as a result, she never found time to breath. What she would have given to have an outlet like running. If only…

Sighing, she stared up at Sonic. Though she didn't exactly have an outlet for her troubles, she did have something—someone—that did relieve her anxiety. When she was with Sonic, she didn't worry about her duties or Eggman's plans because when she was around him, she was something she couldn't be around anyone else but Bunnie and Nicole; herself. A teenage girl that wanted to have fun, play in the dirt every once in awhile, and sometimes, save time for a kiss or two. It was silly at one point, that she gave herself a chance to be so childish, but on the other point, it was just what she needed. She hadn't had a chance to be a kid when she was little, so what better time was there than now?

Closing her eyes, she smiled. It reminded her of one of the days she had spent resting. For once, she hadn't cared about all of her troubles, and she had felt her age for the first time in years. To put it simply, it had been one of the most— "Yo Tails, should I throw her?"

Wait, what? Throw? HER? "Your call, but you better figure out what you want to do now!" With Tails response, Sally opened her eyes and looked forward. The gargantuan room had somehow changed during her moments of rest, and now instead of being spread around the room in the corners, the storms were now separated into four sections across the room. The closest of the collection was a lovely flurry of white flakes and ice.

At that moment, Sally realized three things. Firstly, she had severely misjudged the size of the island and the room. Second, the storms were all raging at their worst. Finally, she recognized that for some reason that Sonic wasn't going to voice, she was going to be thrown up in the air. And of course, as soon as the thought traveled through her mind, she felt the hedgehog's arm muscles tighten, move back, and thrust her upwards. It was as if the action in the fire temple hadn't been enough, so he had to do it again.

The second time around, Sally did her best to suppress the scream. Sonic was going to catch her, so what was the point in screeching? Though she was curious as to why he had thrown her, she did her best not to display any worry. For once, she tried to enjoy the experience. She inhaled deeply, letting her mind and body relax as she flew through the air. When she didn't worry about being caught… it was as if she was flying, rather than falling. For just a moment, she could taste that sense of freedom that she so desperately craved. It was invigorating.

But of course, as the laws of gravity still applied to her, the flight soon ended and she fell through the cloud layer. As soon as she passed through the fluff, she realized why he had tossed her so casually. It was like trying to see through a cotton ball, with how much snow was surrounding them. Though it wasn't particularly cold, she knew that his action had been at least somewhat sensible. If he was going to run into something within the snow, it might have well been when she wasn't there to experience it as well. Sally hummed after she had been caught, readying herself for the next toss. It seemed as if somehow he had sensed her preparation, because suddenly, she found herself in the air yet again.

The second time in the air, she discovered that the sense of flying had remained. For some reason, falling forward through the air harbored absolutely no fear for her. Was it that she knew that Sonic would catch her, or was it that she was relaxed enough that the terror had no power over her? Either way, she didn't care. For once, she was having fun, and she liked it. Without a care in the world, Sally let out a loud, "Woo hoo!" as she fell back to the ground. It felt foolish on one side, but on the other side, she had done sillier things before. And of course, it had all been around Sonic. Being around him made her more… well, goofy, to put it simply.

When she burst through the clouds and returned to the icy wonderland, she found that she had an uncontrollable smile on her face. And of course, when Sonic caught her, she felt embarrassed when he looked at her. The smirk on his face was so mischievous… "Finally enjoying yourself, Sally?" He asked her as he maneuvered around several snow banks.

"What gave you that idea?"

He shrugged, glancing back at Tails, "The woo-hoo." The fox laughed at Sonic's words, making Sally chuckle nervously. Obviously, she had been rather loud when she had yelled. Smiling at her realization, Sonic looked forward once again. "Speaking of which," With a lightning fast motion, the hedgehog threw her once again.

Sally barely had time to grasp what had happened, but when she did, she decided to make the best of it. Her descent transformed into a series of intricate flips that made the world surrounding her morph into a blur of color. She was moving so fast that she had no idea how close she was to the ground, and when she fell through the clouds, she found it hard to successfully place anything. Then without a word, the fall ended and she found herself in Sonic's arms.

"Did you enjoy your flight?" Sonic asked.

Sally found that world was spinning uncontrollably when she landed in his arms. "Pft," Sally did her best to look over at Tails as he spoke, "That wasn't flying! It was falling with style!"

"Oh ho ho! Too true bud!" Sonic laughed, "Nice use of quotes. For that, you just earned forty points."

"Sweet!" Tails exclaimed. "That's—whoa." Without a fair warning, the weather took a drastic turn. One moment they were surrounded by icy crystals, and the next second they were swallowed by a blanket of razor sharp droplets. The sudden change in weather surprised them, but it did nothing to affect their speed. Of course, that meant that within a few seconds of running in the rain, they were soaked.

"Lovely." Sonic sighed, "Just what the doctor ordered. Wish I had an umbrella."

"It could be worse." Sally told him, discovering that after several moments, the world had stopped spinning.

"How so?"

"It could be raining so hard that it could be flooding." Tails added.

Sonic shivered, "Ugh, don't mention floods. Brings me back to the water temple."

Raising an eyebrow, Tails hummed, "Was it bad?"

Sally chuckled, "You could say that…"

Sonic just let out a "ha" and shook his head. "Water just isn't my thing." With those words, he looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowing in the process. "And the rain isn't helping."

"Just when you thought you were safe inside!" Sally laughed.

The hero sighed, "Water and buildings are a bad mix. I came to this conclusion a few days ago, and I stand by it now!"

Tails nodded, "That's understandable." He agreed, looking ahead in the process. His brow furrowed when he examined what was stretched before him. "Is it me, or is this room getting bigger?"

Shaking his head, Sonic spoke, "It's been manipulated by chaos energy. Strong chaos energy." He glanced back at Tails, "The storms are also being enriched by it."

Sally raised an eyebrow as she swept the wet hair out of her eyes, "Since when did you even know what that word meant?"

Tails smiled, "Chaos arts training, right?" Sonic smiled and nodded, "See, Sonic knows what he's talking about sometimes."

"The keyword being sometimes." Tails laughed at Sally's statement, and Sonic rolled his eyes.

"You're just jealous." Sonic stated, "Just because I'm not always the sharpest knife in the drawer doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm talking about." He glanced at Tails, "What do you think Tails?"

His grin wide, Tails nodded, "I think he knows what he's talking about."

Sonic let out a triumphant "ha" and smiled, "What now princess?"

Sally rolled her eyes, smiling in the process. "So now we're ganging up on the only girl? I see how it is."

Sonic just laughed, "Yeah, we're going to send you to the kitchen as soon as we get back to Knothole, let me—"

A sudden brilliant explosion of white color burst to life in front of the three, and quickly following was a deafening boom. It took less than a second for them to react. Sally yelped and covered her ears, Sonic did his best to come to a stop, and Tails shrieked, losing his footing in the process. As the fox fell back from the shock, the hedgehog and his princess flew forward. The slippery floor hadn't provided any proper leverage, and as a result, a complete stop performed so quickly had proven to be a dumb idea. Though Sonic tried to regain some sense of balance, he found that it was difficult while holding Sally.

He lost the battle with gravity within a few seconds, and as a result landed on his rear. It didn't particularly hurt and Sally seemed to be okay, but within that moment, he felt a new sense of worry over-taking him. As quickly as he had fallen, he shot up, put Sally down, then dashed over to Tails. The princess followed behind, instantly recognizing the brotherly instincts over-taking him.

The hedgehog slid so he was eye level with the fox, "You okay, bro?"

His query had been redundant, and although he had realized it before he was even going to inquire of him, it had still been asked. Despite its uselessness, it had an immediate answer. His eyes wide and his body shaking, the fox tried his best to back away from the new storm before them. It was something more than terror that had grasped the boy. His fear was unlike any other he had seen before. Lighting to Tails was as bad as water was to Sonic. It horrified him; made him shake and cringe as if he had been badly beaten by a brutal beast, bent on making sure he couldn't move.

His response; however, was what really struck Sonic. "I'm fine, Sonic." Though it was a fact that he wasn't okay, he was doing his best to be strong. He was trying to pull the hero's role over his own.

Recognizing such, Sonic shook his head, "No, you're not." He glanced back to the entrance of the temple, humming to himself as Sally kneeled down next to Tails. "Tails, there's nothing wrong with being scared."

It was almost as if Sonic could hear Tails' heart drop. "But… you're never scared!"

The words made Sonic chuckle. It was true; Tails was smart enough to build an entire plane by himself, clever enough to create an emerald that looked and acted just like a real chaos emerald, and skilled enough to maneuver through an onslaught led by Snively Robotnik. He was talented in so many aspects, but that didn't excuse one undeniable fact: he was still a kid. And that meant that sometimes, he needed a boost of confidence from his older brother.

"Tails, trust me, that's not true. You should have seen me at the water temple." Tails raised his eyebrows, and Sally nodded.

"You really should have! He was so scared, he couldn't even talk!" Sonic turned, glancing back at Sally and raising an eyebrow in the process. Though he was ashamed to admit it, it was true. Upon realizing that he was embarrassed, Sally spoke, "Sorry."

Sonic sighed and shrugged, "It's true. But you know what?" He looked at Tails, "I had someone there to help me."

Sally smiled and nodded, "And right now, you have us."

Tails was quiet for a long time. He stared at Sally for a moment, then back to Sonic. What was going through his mind? After a long silence, he spoke, "So long as you guys are by my side, there's no reason I should be scared."

Sonic grinned, "Exactly! Besides," He shot up onto his feet, putting his hands on his waist as he stood as straight and as tall as possible, "I am the fastest thing alive. Lightning can't stop me!"

"And the weirdest thing alive." Tails giggled at Sally's comment, and Sonic just narrowed his eyes.

"You, my dear, are digging yourself a hole." Sonic told her, pointing a finger at her. "And for that, I'm going to get you."

She folded her arms, "I'd like to see you try."

Sonic smirked and opened his mouth to speak, but before that could happen, the ground beneath him shook. It took the breath from his lungs, and it made the other two gasp. What was going on? As soon as the spasms ended, the three found that the weather's condition had worsened. The rain was falling even faster, the wind was beginning to pick up, and before them, the lightning was striking faster.

"What just happened?" Sally asked as she and Tails stood, pulling Nicole from her pocket.

Sonic looked around, gritting his teeth. "I don't know." He closed his eyes, letting his senses take over. "I feel… a great anger. Whoever has the emerald knows that we're here, and they are not happy about it." He opened his eyes, gazing upon his friends. "There's a lot of negative chaos energy in here."

Nodding, Sally growled, "There's intense interference to Nicole's signal. I can't open the map right now."

Tails hummed, "Whatever has the emerald is really strong." The two looked over to the fox boy to see—to their surprise—that he was playing on a wristwatch, "It's what's controlling the weather in here and out there. In fact, it's what has been making all of those storms lately."

Sonic spent a second staring at Tails' watch before humming. "The weather has been out of whack since the water temple."

"And that's why it's good that we got here when we did." Sally stated, "If the creature is strong enough to create these storms with one emerald, imagine what he could do within a matter of days."

Tails nodded in agreement, then looked at Sonic. As if on cue, the hedgehog smiled. "Ah-ha, so it's a challenging opponent?" He glanced toward the lighting infested clouds, "All the more reason to brace the storm." Turning to them one last time, Sonic smiled. "That being said, are you guys ready?"

Sally looked down at Tails, and the boy closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and smiled as he opened them. "I've faced a lot worse."

Sonic grinned at him, and with that, picked up the princess and flew off, Tails following close behind. At that point in time, the three were soaked to the bone, but that didn't really matter to them. Right then and there, getting to the other side of the thunderstorm was the most important matter. Hopefully, getting across wasn't going to be much of a problem. Of course, as it was a natural occurrence of life, opposition was present in every part of their journey. The storm was no expectation.

As soon as they were five seconds into the new storm, the lightning began to fall from the clouds like sunshine. The outbursts of light and sound were raging in almost every imaginable spot possible, and it brought a great level of fear to Tails. At the rate that it was moving, it was almost a promise that they were going to be struck for sure. He only hoped that Sonic knew what he was doing.

Or maybe, the best way to put it was if Sonic could feel his way around the lightning. At that point, he was relying on pure instinct and his chaos powers. To Sonic, it was obvious what the patterns were. The lightning would throw him off to one point, try to corner him, and then attempt to attack. As he could sense it before it struck, he was able to avoid the assaults easily enough that it appeared as if the lightning was striking randomly instead of aiming for them. He secretly hoped that Tails wasn't going to notice, but he knew that eventually, he was going to recognize the pattern.

Unfortunately, that became the least of his worries within a few seconds. It appeared as if the storm had realized it couldn't catch Sonic for it eventually began to aim for Tails instead. And to make the matter worse than it already was, Tails caught on to the lightning's pattern change almost instantly. It made his muscles tighten and his expression fill with fear, and it made him bring a new level of caution to where he was. Sadly, that resulted in a miss-step that made Sonic's heart skip a beat. He quickly regained his balance before anything could happen, but it scared the hedgehog nonetheless. The last thing he wanted was to—

Suddenly, a flash of light and a deafeningly loud crack right behind him made Sonic's heart freeze. Please, anything but what he feared! He was about to turn around when another blaze of white made him lose his balance. Sally yelped as a result, and Sonic growled. Whatever was directing the storm was really beginning to make him mad. Without another thought, the hedgehog called out, "Chaos control!" He appeared behind Tails, who was sitting on the floor, grabbed his shoulder, and before another spark could hit, yelled, "Chaos control!"

They were on the other side of the storm within less than a second. He set Sally down and turned to Tails, hoping that what he had feared hadn't happened. When his eyes set upon Tails, his initial thought was that his dread had been misplaced. Though he appeared to be a bit shaken up, his expression was overall calm. Then, the hedgehog saw his leg.

It felt as if his stomach had dropped to his shoes. His leg was burnt and bruised so bad that within in an instant of seeing it, Sonic felt like throwing up. How much did that hurt? Before he could say anything, Tails spoke, "Don't worry Sonic, I'm fine." The boy told him, putting a hand on his leg in the process.

Fine? He had just been struck by lightning! Lightning for heaven's sake! How was he even alive? Before Sonic could put another word in, Tails suddenly—to Sonic's shock—took his right leg off. What the heck? "Sonic, it was only my robotic leg that got hit."

Though he still felt the shock from the event, his heart settled down a bit. Sonic nodded, "Good." He knelt down, "Put it back on, then." He shuddered at the odd words, but Tails complied wordlessly. The wind surrounding them was picking up speed, but the two didn't seem to notice. As it did, Sally clamped her eyes shut and put a hand on Sonic's shoulder to stay balanced.

When it was back in its proper place, Sonic put a hand on his knee, "Chaos regeneration." Though it worked a little differently on metal than it did with flesh, the "wound" was healed within a few seconds. As soon as it was, Tails looked up at Sonic, a little surprised to see his expression. Smiling, the hedgehog spoke, "See, I get scared too."

Tails grinned in response and stood up. At that point, the wind had greatly increased in speed and ferocity, and he began to look around. As the lightning and water was behind him, he appeared to be much calmer, but the wind did seem to pose as a problem. "Well…" he sighed looked at Sonic, "I'm glad I can walk. Let's see how bad this windstorm is."

Feeling the relief flood into his body, Sonic smiled and nodded. Tails was going to be fine. He turned to Sally, the soft grin still on his face. "You ready Sa—Sal?" To his surprise, when he turned around, Sally wasn't there. The boys raised their eyebrows in surprise as they looked around.

Just as they were about to call for her name, they paused in surprise, "AHHH!" The two turned around one last time at the sound of her scream, looking up in the process. They had found her; she was being sucked into a tornado. For a moment, Sonic and Tails simply stood there and nodded to themselves. Within such a hectic temple, it didn't seem too crazy for there to be such a storm there. Then, it hit them.

"Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, his eyes widening in the process. Sometimes, it took too long for things to sink in for him. Without another word, the two looked at each other, then toward the tornado, and ran to it at full force. For some silly reason, running headfirst into such a storm wasn't scary for them. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they had done it before…

They kept moving until their feet no longer found the floor, and when that happened, they continued moving toward her. Sonic in short bursts of chaos controls, and Tails with carefully crafted maneuvering via his two tails. The two were calm as they moved through the storm (though truthfully, they were enjoying the ride), while Sally was screaming as usual. How was she handling the intensity of the wind and the uncontrollable spinning? Judging upon how poorly she dealt with a few simple flips, she wasn't doing well.

With that thought in mind, Sonic grit his teeth together, glancing around. Relying upon primarily instinct, he could feel the intensity of the chaos energy increasing rapidly. They were going to reach the emerald soon, but if they were still in the tornado when they did, it was not going to look pretty. Based on previous experiences, hitting the floor—or a wall—at such high speeds tended to hurt. A lot. If he wanted to prevent any of that pain upon his friends, he had to do something soon.

Nodding to himself, he closed his eyes, a familiar sense of excitement filling him. It took less than a second for the energy of the four emeralds in his possession to give him the proper energy for the move. The sudden burst of power that filled him was over-whelming, but he only smiled as he opened his eyes and threw his arms out. Easy. Without a moment to spare, the hero looked down, gathering the energy together as his grin widened. Then, releasing all of the energy with one move, he yelled out, "Split apart!"

It was crazy enough to deal with a tornado, but to be trying to find the way in a storm that was being ripped apart? Madness was too weak of a word to properly describe the ordeal. As soon as he had ordered it, the clouds and winds took off in every direction, and the swirling mass of debris and dirt followed. The sensation of weightlessness ended, and soon enough, Sonic was falling to the ground, a grin on his face. That sure had been fun.

He landed on his feet effortlessly, and when he looked around, he saw that Tails had done the same. Exchanging a quick smile with the boy, Sonic looked around. If only he knew where Sally was. Given her luck with the storm, she was probably—oh, right there. Sonic moved off a few feet to the left, braced himself, and caught the girl (who had been yelping yet again). Grinning, the hedgehog chuckled. "How do you feel?"

Her hair messy, her eyes wide open, and her body shaking, Sally looked up at Sonic. "Like I'm going to throw up."

Sonic smirked, "Well, I ask that you don't do it on my shoes." She merely nodded before looking upwards. Sonic let his gaze follow hers, and when he did, he raised his eyebrows. There before them was the door to where the emerald was being contained.

Silently, Sonic put Sally down as Tails dashed by their side. "Holy cow," he whispered, "It's huge!"

"Sure is, bud." Sonic whispered, once again placing the princess on her feet as his ears perked up from the wind. "Whatever is on the other side is strong. If we're going to retrieve the emerald, we can't falter for even a second. If there's a chance to attack, we'll take it." The hedgehog paused, looking over at Sally once again. She was swaying in place, but other than that, she seemed to be regaining her composure rather well.

He stared at her for a moment before she looked up toward the sky; or at least, toward the ceiling. "We better get going, then. Looks like it's trying to get the storm going again."

Sonic nodded at her words, then turned to the doors. Silently, he placed his hands on them, and just as he was about to push, a mighty force made contact with his head. For a brief moment, his vision turned white, lined with black. What was going on? What exactly had just hit him? For a moment, he stood there, wondering what to do. There was a loud pulsing sound banging in his head, and it made the hedgehog grit his teeth together in pain. It was almost horrifying with how much it hurt. After a few moments of confusion, he heard Tails and Sally crying his name.

"Sonic!" The voice distant at first, Sonic growled. Slowly, it increased in volume and intensity. "Are you okay?"

Trying to regain any sense of direction and control, he shook his head. "Obviously not. What was that? What did it throw at me?"

As he tried to open his eyes, he could sense the confusion in Tails' tone, "What? Nothing was thrown at you, you just sort of collapsed."

It took the hero only a few seconds to deduce what had happened, and when it did, he growled. "Crap." He whispered, doing his best to pull himself to his feet. He had been sure that it wasn't going to happen, but the force controlling the storm had figured it out. Catching Sonic with the sheer force of the storm wasn't going to do anything, but crushing him with the chaos energy would. He was the only one out of the three that could sense it, and with as much as had been mustered, it had brought the hedgehog to his knees. Literally. Though he knew that he could use the energy around him, it was basic knowledge that too much of it was a bad thing. That had been one of the first things that Shadow had taught him during his lessons.

Taking in a deep breath at the thought, the hedgehog found himself on his feet thanks to the assistance from Sally. Either he was going to take his chances and rely on his chaos powers—bringing the possibility of the pressure crushing him—or he was going to have to rely on wit alone. Was that going to be enough? Shaking his head, Sonic placed his hands on the door once again. Whether it was going to break him or not, no one was going to stop him. He was the fastest thing alive; the hero of Mobius, right? Nothing had stopped him before, and that wasn't about to change. With a new sense of exhilaration over-taking him, Sonic threw the doors open, making the two behind him jump. They had no chance to voice their surprise because Sonic was already walking in by the time they could have said anything. Instead, they quickly followed him.

The room was eerily quiet, and it made Sonic raise his eyebrows. It was odd for such a chaotic temple to have such a quiet… space. Suspicion quickly took over as he scanned the room. Judging from previous experiences, the guardian of the emerald was going to jump out at them at any moment. Was he going to be able to pinpoint that moment? Probably not. With that thought in mind, he walked across the room, Sally and Tails close behind. Though they did not sense the intense chaos energy, they did recognize the anxiety. There was something lurking in the shadows, and it was going to attack soon. The only question was of which shadow it was dwelling in.

After a moment, Sonic stopped walking and looked around. The emerald was nowhere in sight, but he knew it was there, somewhere in the room. He just had to look harder. Or maybe, he needed the help from Sally and Tails. He glanced back at the princess, "Hey Sal, do you—"

The door behind them slammed to a close, and Sonic's heart skipped a beat. Hiding behind the door. How original that was. He turned back as fast as he could, instantly spotting the creature—or rather, the person—who held the emerald. It was, to his surprise, a human. A young man, to be in fact. The fact almost made Sonic drop his guard, but he was lucky that he didn't.

Within the blink of an eye, the man with the jet black began moving his arms in a strange motion, which to Sonic's shock, created sparks. No, something worse than that; lightning. Tails eyes grew as wide as dinner plates, and Sally gasped. Before they could do anything about it; however, he shot it directly at them, which was quickly followed by a deafening boom. The two stayed glued in their spots until the magnificent force of Sonic's push threw them apart and onto the ground, leaving him in the direct line of fire. He held his breath as he brought two fingers up, though he almost missed his chance. Almost.

The lightning pushed him back by several feet as he gritted his teeth together, planting himself steadily into the ground with his eyes clenched together. As Sally and Tails looked up, a sense of fear overcame them. Sonic! He was hit! Before they could even form his name on their lips, the hedgehog's eyes opened. There was no hint of a smile or any form of joy on his face as he spoke, "Oh, so that's how you're going to play?" And with a motion as fast as the substance itself, he threw the lightning back at the man. Though he somehow dodged it, it was obvious that he was not going to be as carefree in the fight as he had originally planned.

"Then by all means," Sonic then did the motion himself, giving birth to his very own spark. Sally's eyes grew wide along with Tails as the lightning surged around the hero's fingers, a devilish grin taking over at the same time, "Let's play."

The man only smirked, his stormy gray eyes raging. "I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

><p>Free time? What free time? *laughs hysterically* School is reaching its final stretch, and I've been dealing with a lot of work. Of course, that mean that summer is approaching, and that means I'll be able to update a lot more! :D Yay!<p>

The last part reminded me of Avatar, the Last Airbender. I like that show. :P Anyways, I hope you guys liked it! Feel free to review! ^^


	21. Shocking, isn't it?

**Chapter 21: Shocking, Isn't it? **

For a moment, the two creatures simply stared—glared—at one another. Their clenched fists were surging with lightning; their friendly gazes were verging on the brink of insanity, and their eyes were raging with a desire to fight. The air surrounding the blue hedgehog and the black haired man was thick with that drive for violence, and for a moment, it seemed as if it was going to overcome the two. Then, suddenly, the grin on Sonic's face widened. It was a subtle action and it seemed insignificant, but it was a signal of what was to come. With a curt nod and a near sadistic laugh, the hedgehog flew at the man, releasing two bolts from his fingers in the direction of the form before him.

Effortlessly, the man sprung away, missing the two strikes as if they were nothing. He laughed, landing softly on his feet, "You'll have to do better than that! I've—" a quick and powerful punch to the gut sent him back into the wall, a loud yelp escaping from his lips at the same time.

"You've what? Seen better? As if!" And before he could even land on the ground, Sonic shot another bolt at him.

The black haired male cried out before the bolt reached him, then he screeched even louder as the lightning stuck him. Within a few seconds; however, he suppressed his scream and replaced it with an angry growl. "You dare challenge a spirit of Mobius?"

From the other side of the room, still on the floor, Sally whispered with wide eyes, "A spirit?"

Though it was barely under her breath, the words had caught the man's attention. His head snapped up and he gazed at her in curiosity, "So smart, are we?" All heads whipped to where Sally was, "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

And with one impossibly fast movement he shot another bolt at the princess; or at least, he tried to. The sudden grasp of the hero's hand around his wrist threw the attack off, but only by so much that it missed Sally by a few inches. As his glare set back upon Sonic, his eyes grew wide. "First rule," Sonic growled, "don't you dare try to hurt her!" and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the man over his head.

As he collided with the ground face first, Sonic let out another laugh. "Second rule; don't ever look away from your opponent!"

Sally and Tails widened their eyes at his sudden case of mood swings, then looked back at the man. He gritted his teeth together as he stood up, "Indeed, I shouldn't have looked away." He then stood up straight as if he had never even been tossed. "It seems that I underestimated you."

Sonic smirked, "It seems that you have. Kind of makes you want to just give us the emerald and leave us alone, doesn't it?"

He smiled in return, "Kind of." And suddenly, he disappeared. For only a moment did Sonic show any signs of surprise, but it quickly transformed into something stronger when Sonic realized that the man was standing directly behind him. "It also kind of makes me want to beat you even harder."

Before Sonic could even turn his head, a bolt was thrown into his body. He yelled—screamed—and crumpled to the ground, leaving both Tails and Sally gapping. What on Mobius was exactly going on? As the hedgehog gasped for proper breath on hands and knees, the man looked toward the two, something darker than hate raging in his eyes.

Silently, Sally found her place on her feet as Tails did the same. Her mind racing as fast as her heart was moving, she spoke, "Yo-you're one of the seven spirits of Mobius. You—"

"Live in the temple that was created for me? Of course I do." He growled as he stepped away from the hedgehog, ignoring the blue hero's sad out-reached grasp. "Unlike my idiotic brothers and sisters, I gladly accept the home created for me by those pathetic Mobians."

Sally began to take small backward steps along with the fox, silently pondering upon what he meant by brothers and sisters as she spoke, "Why do you have the emerald?"

He let out a simple "ha" as he continued forward, "So many questions. It doesn't surprise me. You do seem to be a curious one." The smile on his face darkened, and suddenly he was directly in front of Sally. "And you know what they say." Without a fair warning, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"Sally!" Tails exclaimed, rushing toward the man. "Put her down you big bully!"

The man raised an eyebrow as the fox began to attack his arm. "A bully? Such a childish word for someone with a mind such as yours!" He spat, swatting him away as if he was an insect. Squealing, Tails skid across the floor and the man smiled. "Quite pathetic really. I expected more out of you three." As Sally scratched at the hand holding her up in a useless attempt for air, the man let his gaze return to her. "At least I'll have some fun squashing you."

Her eyes widened as his other hand began to surge with the deadly sparks; the evil look in his eyes accompanying it leaving her heart to skip a beat, "Of course, it's more entertaining to shock you, if you catch my drift." And as he raised his hand, her heart paused altogether. For a moment, she thought that it was all over. Then, her eyes met Sonic's.

If she would have blinked she would have missed it. Without taking a breath of preparation or anything like it, the hedgehog stepped out of his weakened position and shot a new bolt at the man. The literal shock of the lightning made the man release the princess before its power could reach her, but the mental shock kept him glued in his spot until the hedgehog was standing in front of him. Then, just before it registered in the spirit's mind, Sonic kicked the man in stomach. He landed flat on his back, suddenly as breathless as Sally had been a few moments ago. And as if that wasn't enough, the hedgehog somehow found a way to catch Sally within the momentary chaos. Once in his arms, Sally stared at him with an awestruck gawk.

"So, Storm Spirit," Sonic spoke, rage filling his voice, "you find it entertaining to squash us?" Sonic whispered a quick chaos incantation, which brought Tails to his feet with a confounded expression. "In that case, you're not doing too bad. But I have to warn you, I'm not very nice when I'm in that state."

Tails and Sally put on a more confused expression as the spirit stood up, "I don't doubt that." Then, their confusion escalated to an unknown level of awe as they stared at Sonic. His fury bubbled down to something menacing; a grin that was striving for something darker than victory.

"Well if you want to dance, why are you just standing around? Let's dance buddy!" He exclaimed, casually throwing Sally into the air as he had before. "Catch, Tails!" Sonic yelled, shooting a lightning bolt at the spirit. "And make sure that you two stay out of the way!"

Tails gasped and Sally yelped, but he quickly flew up to do as he had been told. Sonic watched for a moment, but quickly returned his gaze to examine the spirit. The spirit avoided the bolt with a nearly flawless jump to the side and before he even landed, he cast a bolt in return to Sonic. Instead of avoiding it; however, Sonic caught the bolt on two fingers and slid back a few feet. "Whoa, nice one dude!" He exclaimed, sending it back to the man.

As Tails grabbed onto Sally's right hand, the spirit caught the bolt and redirected it toward Sonic once again. "Not bad, yourself." The hedgehog captured it once again, throwing it back as if it was a regular occurrence for him.

As the bolt moved through the air, Sonic glanced up at Tails, who was flying off with Sally in his grasp. "Exactly!" He yelled, the sadistic touch returning to his voice in full as the spirit caught the bolt.

The man raised an eyebrow and smirked, keeping the lighting twined within his fingers as he looked at the three Mobians. "So optimistic you are. It's odd, really." He exclaimed as he shot the bolt at the fox instead.

At that moment, the maniacal look in Sonic's eyes died off. He ran and yelled, "Chaos control!" and disappeared in a flash of green. Then, he reappeared, grabbed onto Tails's wrist, and brought them to the other side of the room before either of them had the chance to blink. Pulling his hands up, Sonic called out, "Chaos form." The walls surrounding them crumbled at the first syllable uttered, and large blocks of the debris managed to fall in front of them instead of on top of them.

Gently, Sonic put Sally down. "Stay here." He commanded, eyeing the two carefully.

"What?" Tails exclaimed, doing his best to keep a calm composure as he found his place on the floor. "You can't be serious! I want to help!"

"Sorry, this is a solo job, bud."

"Sonic, you can't—"

"Tails," He put a hand on Tails' shoulder, his voice suddenly desperate, "Please. Stay here." Turning to Sally he nodded, "You too, Sal. Trust me, he is dangerous."

The two stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, examining his frustrated expression before the storm spirit called out. "Is that all?" At the sound of the spirit's voice, Sonic's eyes widened and the vicious shimmer returned yet again.

"Oh, I haven't even warmed up!" Sonic yelled, dashing off around the debris yet again. "I still want to play!" He exclaimed, moving his hands in the intricate movements to bring about more sparks.

"Good!" The spirit laughed in return as he created several new bolts as well, his eyes staying steadily focused on the hedgehog before him. Letting out a loud "ha," in the process, the spirit shot one of the bolts at him, avoiding the one Sonic had chucked at the same time. When his feet touched the ground, he flung another and another, but met the sad result of every bolt being caught by the hedgehog. For some reason; however, his failure didn't seem to faze him much.

"Not bad hedgehog, not bad." The spirit called out, his tone edged with a sense of mocking.

For some reason; however, it seemed as if the statement made the hedgehog angry. "Not bad? What are you blind?" Gritting his teeth together, the hedgehog gathered together more energy, "Obviously, you haven't been watching close enough!" He exclaimed, casting more bolts at the spirit. Smiling, the man simply stood there, not even daring to turn his head as the bolts passed him, each one missing him by only several inches. The spirit simply chuckled.

"Ops, it looks like you missed me." Sonic growled and his eyes grew wide in disbelief, then he gathered more lightning. Without another word, he threw one more bolt at the man, somehow missing once again. Gritting his teeth, Sonic called out a chaos incantation, bringing about more lightning into his grasp then what had been seen during the entire battle. He thrust each bolt at him, the two now dancing about the room as if they had been planning the whole thing. Though the hedgehog was throwing multiple bolts at a time, he never managed to hit him.

As the man avoided another strike with a flipping jump, he smirked, "Have you two been watching?" The spirit called out, his voice light and care-free. "If not, I just want to let you know that your friend isn't doing too well."

Tails, who had been looking around the corner of the large rock they were behind, quickly moved back to where he had been sitting. "Sally, something isn't right." The boy whispered as he did his best to ignore the sounds of lightning and thunder filling the room.

"Obviously!" She exclaimed, glancing over the rock to see Sonic be struck, only to get up a few seconds later with that odd look in his eye. "It's like he's going through as many mood swings as a pregnant lady does! He's not even hitting the guy anymore."

"I noticed." Tails whispered, pulling his wrist watch up to eye-level. "I think I may have an idea of what's wrong, but it's only a hunch." He told her, pressing a few buttons in the process. As the enormous crack of thunder flooded the room once again, Sally slid back down next to Tails, pulling Nicole out of her pocket in the process. Silently, she too began to press several buttons.

"Ah ha! Just as I thought!" Tails exclaimed after several seconds, "Sally, the chaos energy in this room—"

"It's off the charts!" She yelled, pointing toward the constant out-of-control readings on Nicole's screen.

"Exactly!" He glanced back at the fight, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Sonic take in another series of bolts before throwing them back. "It's what's causing Sonic's mood swings!"

Furrowing her brows together, Sally pulled Tails down again. "What?" She questioned in a monotone of disbelief.

"Sally, don't you get it?" Tails asked, pointing towards his watch. She stared at him for a few moments before he sighed, "Have you ever noticed that—despite having the chaos emeralds in his possession—Sonic doesn't like using weapons?"

"Or anything like it, yes." Another crash, and more hysterical laughter followed. "What's your point?"

Tails glanced down at his watch and toward Sonic before continuing, "Sonic relies on the energy around him when he uses his chaos powers, and right now, he's taking in more than half of the energy in here!"

Sally's eyes grew wide, "Excuse me?"

"The spirit is the one letting off all that energy! When Sonic collapsed earlier, it was because of that!" He explained, "He took in only a small amount when that happened, but now, he's taking in more than he can handle! It's taking every single ounce of concentration he has to keep it together, but when the spirit talks, it breaks him."

Covering her ears in an attempt to block out the laughter and the thunder, Sally gritted her teeth. "So let me get this straight… it's driving him insane?" She yelled, taking another glance at the battle.

"Precisely. There's too much energy in here, and unless someone helps take in some of it, Sonic's not going to last much longer."

"Tails, neither of us are on Sonic's level of chaos training! How would we—"

The sound of Sonic's laughter was growing in ferocity, and that alone led the two to look over the rock once more. He was taking in another strike from the spirit, his expression rivaling the Joker's in terms of insanity, "Come on, this is nothing!" Sonic yelled, redirecting it toward the man once again. Smiling, the spirit caught it, threw it back, and simply watched as the hedgehog laughed and thrust it toward him. They continued to toss it back and forth until finally, Sonic missed. Then, the hedgehog awakened another and hurled it towards the spirit.

Just the mere sight of the hedgehog fortified Tails prediction, which made Sally's stomach perform a full flip in her stomach. How on Mobius were they supposed to defeat a spirit? It was as if Tails somehow heard her, for one moment he was next to her, and the next he was running away from the debris. She had to do a double take to make sure her mind wasn't pulling a trick on her before she yelled. "Tails, get back here!" The fox ignored her and kept running until he was spotted by the storm spirit himself.

"Ah, trying to help your big brother out?" He laughed, "That's rather noble of you. Foolish," The spirit paused to catch the bolt thrown by Sonic and smiled. "but noble." And without a fair warning, he turned his whole body and shot it at Tails.

The action didn't register in Sonic's mind until he heard Sally scream, but by then it was too late. A deafening crack followed almost instantly afterward as the fox slid back, and soon after, another sound followed. Though a smile had graced the spirit's face for a few seconds, it quickly transformed when he took a good look at the boy. The fox was growling, his teeth gritted together as the lightning surged around his body. "No one messes with my bro." And he shot it back at the spirit.

Within that instant, it was unknown of who was the most surprised. Both Sonic and Sally were standing and gapping in shock, but the spirit was thrown back to the wall by the bolt. It was sufficient to say that it was a three way tie, but it was Sonic who got over the shock first. "Holy crap. Nice one bud!"

The fox himself was in shock of his action, but he smiled nonetheless. "I did it!"

Sonic smiled and ran to his side, the sadistic aura fading faster with each moment. As soon as he was about to speak, the angry voice of the spirit filled the air, "Yes you did it. Now, stay still so I can rip you apart!" And as soon as he finished, another bolt was shot at them. Without a moment to spare, Sonic took the lightning and threw it at the wall. Then as Sonic panted for breath, the two looked at the spirit.

"I don't know what's more annoying about you two. The fact that _you_ don't know when to step down," He glared at Sonic for just a moment, "or that you're little friend was able to hit me." But his angry stare at Tails was much more intense.

Sonic laughed, "Either way, I hope that you realize that this means you're going down." He told him, the menacing tone already back. "Right Tails?"

Smiling, Tails nodded. "You bet."

As the spirit strengthened his glare, Sonic's smile widened. "Good. And can you do me a favor bud?" Tails nodded, "Feel free to back me up."

Tails stared at the hedgehog for a moment before he smiled, an incredible sense of excitement filling him. "Can do."

The spirit glanced back and forth between the two for a moment, staring at Tails for a moment too long. A second later, the action proved to be a mistake. Before he could even think of looking at Sonic, the very hedgehog had charged at him, punched him in the stomach, and laughed hysterically. "And that's how it's done, punk!" The fox simply watched as the spirit created another bolt, his fury bubbling higher and hotter with each moment.

"You insolent little brat!" he exclaimed as the hedgehog began to circle him, "You will pay for your—" But before he could even shoot, Sonic had thrown his own bolt at the man.

"Blah, blah, blah, you talk too much!" He exclaimed as he waved his hands back and forth so more lightning would come about. "Don't you know how to cut to the chase?"

Gritting his teeth, the storm spirit growled, "If you're so impatient, then maybe I'll give you your just deserts!" He yelled, pulling his hands up, "Just don't think that I didn't warn you, miserable hedgehog!" As he spoke and moved, the very room's atmosphere began to darken. His grin grew in ferocity as the air thickened, and as the moments passed, the fur on the Mobians bodies began to stand on ends. There was no knowing of what he was going to do, and that worried Tails for only a moment.

It was when Sonic was a few feet from running past Tails that the spirit took aim at the duo, and the action sent a legion of lightning at them. Tails gasped and Sonic gritted his teeth as he froze in place, but the spirit laughed. Then without even pausing to think, the two steadied their position, pulled up two fingers, and took in the lightning.

The mere force of the substance threw them backwards by several feet, but they kept their ground and their eyes clamped shut. It lasted for what felt like an eternity, and it felt as if in that moment, all of Mobius froze. Sally's heart paused with it, and she nearly screamed within all the madness. Then, the lightning barrage ended and the substance continued to flow freely around their forms. Carefully, the two Mobians opened their eyes.

"And that," Sonic grinned, the maniacal smile now replaced with a smug one, "Is how you one-up a storm spirit."

Tails nodded, "Right back at ya, bro." And with one simultaneous movement, the two threw the lightning back at the spirit.

As it collided with his body, the lightning made a loud, blood curdling scream release from the spirit's lips. It sent him flying back so fast that even Sonic had to do a double take. He crashed into the wall, let out a loud "Oof!", and fell to the ground. For a moment, the hedgehog and the fox stared at the crumpled form of the spirit, their eyes wide in surprise. Then, the two looked at each other and smiled. Somehow, they had just defeated a spirit.

The realization hit the blue hero in full, and without a moment's notice, he let out a loud, "Woo!" Tails laughed along with Sonic's victory cry and mimed Sonic's action, coupling the yell with the action of throwing his hands into the air. Soon after that, laughter overtook them, and they looked back up at the spirit.

Without another word or chuckle, the two dashed off at him. Once they found themselves standing over him, they found that he was still awake. Barely. When he looked up at them, his eyes met theirs in the form of a glare.

"What now, you miserable—"

"Cut the crap Mr. All-High-and-Mighty." Sonic ordered, his expressions mirroring his heavy attempts to keep it together as the spirit talked. "You know exactly what we want, and you know that we're not going to sit around and wait for it. If you give it to us, we'll walk away without another word. If not… well, I'm sure you know what will happen."

The storm spirit gritted his teeth, doing his best to push himself up off the ground. "What, you want me to give you the emerald? You ungrateful Mobians don't deserve something such as powerful the chaos emeralds, you—" But before he even had a chance to finish his villainly monologue, Tails had discovered how to create his own lightning and tested it out on the spirit.

He yelled in pain, collapsed in a motionless pile of limbs, and moaned. Raising his eyebrows, Sonic looked at Tails in surprise. The fox shrugged, "What? You were going to do the same thing!" They exchanged glances for one more moment before Sonic chuckled and nodded. Then, they looked back down at the spirit.

"So, are you going to give us the emerald, or are you going to—ow!" The spirit quickly pulled out the emerald, jumped to his feet, and before Sonic could finish, continued the cycled of interruption. This time, it was Sonic who found himself unable to continue once the gray emerald contacted with his forehead.

"Here!" The spirit exclaimed as the hedgehog caught the jewel, "Take the stupid thing! It's caused me nothing but trouble anyway!" And with that, the storm spirit stomped off like a two year old throwing a fit. The boys watched as he continued off toward the back of the room, snapped his fingers, and sat into a chair—which had been conjured by the action. Growling, he stared at them. "Now, would you be so kind to get out of my house? I'm rather tired, and I don't want to have to stare at you three all day."

Sonic shrugged as he put the fifth emerald away, "You don't have to tell me twice."

Tails nodded in agreement, turning back to the rock for just a moment. "You coming Sally?"

The girl poked her nose over the debris and called out, "Is it safe?"

Sonic rolled his eyes and smirked to himself, but Tails spoke, "Yeah, it is!" No reply came, but Sally herself soon dashed over to Sonic's side.

She looked up at Sonic nervously. "That was crazy."

Sonic merely nodded, "Yep. But we did it." He told her, holding up the fourth emerald. "And now, we can finally go. Chaos control!" A flash of green light followed, and soon after, they found themselves in the still stormy courtyard of the temple. Of course, once they landed there, they were reminded of one very important factor that they had forgotten within the walls of the temple; there was a fleet of robots waiting for them.

Instantly, the three Mobians went back to back as they stared down at the pointed lasers of the elite Swatbots. Sonic; however, was holding his head and gritting his teeth as he went into his defensive position. Was the chaos energy still getting to him? There was no time to ask; however, because a nasal voice took the chance to speak.

"Stay where you are, hedgehog!" The voice that rang out was filled with an unusual sense of confidence, making Sonic raise an eyebrow in-between his pain. "You're surrounded."

Sonic smirked (or at least, he tried to), and shook his head as he discreetly searched for the ship that harbored the owner of the voice. "Ah Snively, so nice to see you. Why don't you come out here and say hi?" He asked, patting Sally's shoulder as he recognized that she was shaking.

"Shut it, rodent! You are in no position to negotiate."

As his gaze found the ship that harbored the younger of the Robotnik family, Sonic smirked. "Negotiate? I wasn't negotiating, I was just being friendly." He told him, pulling up one of his hands. "But hey, if you don't like it, then that's fine by me!" Sonic exclaimed as he grabbed Sally's hand, "Just remember that you brought this upon yourself."

Snively didn't even have a chance to open his mouth to question, for Sonic had brought back a bolt of lightning especially for him. As soon as the substance made contact with the ship, Sonic picked up Sally and ran off with Tails following in close pursuit. They only made it a few feet when Snively ordered, "Don't just stand there, go after them!"

Smiling with his teeth still gritted together, Sonic shook his head. "They just don't know when to give up, do they?" He asked, glancing back at the robots as the three of them made their way to the edge of the island. They were far behind, but he needed to shake them off. Of course, he already had put his plan into motion, so there was no reason to worry. Unless he ran off the edge without looking, that is.

After running for only a few precious moments, the hedgehog and his female companion found themselves falling through the air after taking a step without any ground underneath it. It left the duo breathless for just a moment, but as soon as Sally realized what was happening, she began to scream. Sonic, on the other hand, did his best to orient himself. Once he found his bearings, he did his best to look for Tails. The boy always hovered slightly when he ran, so there was no way that he had fallen like Sonic and Sally had. With that being said, where was he? For the moment, the only thing he could really concentrate on was the ocean that was growing larger with each moment.

"Sonic!" The very boy suddenly grabbed onto Sonic's shoulder, "I've got ya!"

The hedgehog nodded, glancing back at the fox for a second, "Good! Keep holding on!" Sonic said, closing his eyes for a moment in an attempt to ward off the headache. Then, he cried out, "Chaos control!" Within the literal blink of an eye, the three found themselves on the cliff that Sonic and Sally had been resting on before Tails came. Sally and Tails looked around, bewildered as a result, but Sonic nearly fell over. There had been something wrong with the chaos energy he had taken in at the temple, and it was more than just how much he had used. Perhaps it was—

A loud gasp ripped through Sonic's thoughts, "Wait, what about the Tornado? We can't leave it! If Snively gets it, we'll never get it back!"

Sally raised her eyebrows and looked over at the hedgehog, who was holding his head. "Don't worry bud, I'll get the Tornado." Sonic told him, looking over at where the temple and the fleet hovered. "Piece of cake, really." Glancing back at Tails and Sally, he nodded. "I'll be just a moment." And with that, Sonic turned back, ready to head off.

"Hold on Sonic!" Sonic looked back at Tails, "Take this with you." The boy then clicked a few buttons on his wrist watch and pulled out a ring from some hidden compartment within it. He held it out to the hero, "I've been saving it for a special occasion." Wordlessly, Sonic took the ring, eyeing it carefully. Why on Mobius was he handing him a ring? It appeared to be as ordinary as any ring he'd ever collected…

Sighing, Sonic shooed his wandering thoughts away. Regardless of the reason or purpose of the ring, he had no time to examine it. He smiled as he held the ring in hand, then nodded at Tails. "Thanks." He said curtly, "Now if you excuse me," Then without another word, the hedgehog turned around and ran off toward the edge.

He reached the rim of the rock within seconds and jumped once he was there. For a few breathless seconds, he found himself examining the rippling of the waves beneath him. Then he cried out, "Chaos control!" and found himself landing in ball form on the grounds of the island. He shot up onto his feet as quickly as possible and scanned the area around him, nodding once before he ran. The fleet had headed off toward the cliff, so he had a few precious moments to recover the Tornado, wherever it was.

Continuing down one of the many pathways cut into the luxurious yard, Sonic growled to himself. His head was throbbing in pain from the many chaos controls. The edges of his vision were beginning to blur into shades of black, and he was starting to teeter from side to side as he ran. Though he had been searching for such a short time, Sonic knew that he had to get away from the island as soon as possible. If not, he was going to be in trouble. Shaking his head, Sonic took in a deep breath. Where on Mobius was the Tornado? He had—oh, it was in a tree. What luck.

Within moments, Sonic was underneath the branches and leaves of the tree that the Tornado had somehow landed in. Cracked branches and dying twigs protruded from nearly every angle as he made his way up to the machine, leaving Sonic to be especially cautious. The last thing he wanted was to get shot because he was fretting over something like a splinter. Once he was by the Tornado, he took a moment to examine the situation before gently placing his hand on it. If he could place the Tornado in the courtyard, there was a chance that he could make a good takeoff and get away without taking further damage. He nodded to himself once before an unmistakable voice rang out.

"There he is! Fire!" Of course. Sonic glanced back once, promptly receiving a nice shot in the shoulder after it. He yelped and winced, then looked back at the Tornado. There was no chance for a proper takeoff anymore, he just had to go. Without pausing to think, Sonic closed his eyes and yelled the chaos incantation.

Then, for what seemed to be the billionth time that day, Sonic found himself plummeting toward the water with a roaring migraine as company. He gasped, "Bad idea, bad idea!" Grabbing onto the Tornado, Sonic gritted his teeth together and did his best to pull himself into the driver's seat. Once there, he did his best to look around. The spinning of the plane coupled with the pounding in his head did little for his concentration, but he somehow managed to pull the plane into a straight descent.

Of course, he quickly realized that the plane was still in its damaged state. He shook his head in frustration and pulled his hand out, doing his best to keep it together as he made the repair. "Chaos regeneration." The metal of the left wing morphed back together, and soon, it looked as good as new. Now the only problem was turning it on.

Sonic mentally slapped himself for not realizing that the Tornado's engines weren't running, and he hurried to turn them on. With each second, the water beneath him was growing closer and closer, and the last thing he wanted to do was have to use anther chaos control. No, the last thing he wanted was to be in the water. However, the lack of whirring from the engines didn't do much for his hopes, and for a moment, he feared that he was going to have to take an unplanned swimming lesson.

At the last moment possible, the engines roared to life, and Sonic pulled the plane up in a sharp ascent. It nearly died on him as a result, but the engines stayed strong and continued to bring him upwards. Relief flooded the hedgehog's body and he relaxed his shoulders as he sighed. It looked like he was going to be okay. He let a brief smile grace his lips before he looked over his injured shoulder, and the grin died as quickly as it had came. The Swatbots and other ships were still following him.

The hedgehog furrowed his brow. He simply didn't have the energy to defend himself. Why couldn't Snively leave him alone? Though he had no idea as to why the man was bothering him, he didn't waste time pondering over the subject. Instead, he did his best to steer as he kept his eyes on the fleet. If he wanted to get away safely, he needed to keep them at bay.

With a quick and simplified version of the gesture to summon it, Sonic shot another bolt of lightning at the fleet, which only barely missed. Then without a moment to think it over or let his mind settle, Sonic shot another and another. Every single bolt missed the desired target, and every shot led Sonic's concentration to dwindle even further. The enemies were gaining, and he was gradually losing his awareness as the migraine grew in strength. If he didn't do something fast, he was going to pass out. Of course instead of trying to think of something else, he did his best to keep his grounds, and he continued to shoot several more bolts. After three more; however, he found that the black lining that had accompanied his vision had blurred to the rest of the world.

He felt like throwing up by then, and for an entire second, he was sure that he was going down. Then, suddenly, a pinprick of light lit up his blackened eyesight. Blinking, he shook his head to make sure that he wasn't seeing things when he looked at his right hand. The ring that had miraculously stayed within his grasp during the fall was glowing. He stared at it for a mere moment, then widened his eyes. It wasn't any normal ring, it was a power ring!

Upon realizing such, a grin graced Sonic's lips. The hurt that had haunted him melted away as its glow brightened, and a nostalgic warmth filled him in the process. Rejuvenation having stripped the wicked chaos energy from Sonic, he laughed and shot up out the seat. He held the ring above his head and yelled, "Chaos control!" And the world around him froze.

Then, without even pausing to think, the hedgehog jumped up and flew at the fleet. Once he reached them, the energy of the ring reached its pinnacle and hurtled him toward the fleet in ball form, ripping through the metal as if it was nothing but paper. The few ships, the Swatbots, and any remaining lackeys were shredded into ribbons as the hedgehog ripped through them, a grin on his face as he destroyed the evil machines. It took mere seconds to demolish every single one of them, and once he was finished, he made his way to the commander's ship.

At that moment, Sonic released the chaos incantation, making Sonic smile. Ever so slowly, Snively recognized the damage, and his eyes grew wide at the sight. How on Mobius had an entire fleet of Robotnik machines destroyed themselves? Then, his eyes met Sonic, and they became angry. Of course, the fury lasted for only a moment as Sonic let his signature smile grace his lips. No words were necessary, for within a few moments, Sonic was directly in front of the ship.

He laughed and waved toward the man, "See ya!" Then gathering all of his strength, the hedgehog brought his foot forward into a powerful kick. Coupling it with a large amount of chaos energy, the move sent the ship skyrocketing, leaving Sonic with a triumphant grin.

* * *

><p>As soon as he had returned to the Tornado via chaos control, Sonic had continued onward peacefully. The storm was dying, and as time passed, rays of sunshine started to grace the land, making Sonic's final minutes of his flight that much easier. Once he had finished, he landed the Tornado without difficulty, jumped out as if he had simply gone on a leisurely flight, and smiled as his companions ran at him. Grinning, Sonic opened his mouth to speak, quickly discovering that Sally had other ideas.<p>

"What were you thinking, you crazy hedgehog?" She demanded, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Why on Mobius did you teleport directly into the air? Didn't you think about what you were doing? And why did you jump out of the plane? You could have crashed the Tornado! If that would have happened, it would have been—" But before she could continue, Sonic silenced her with a swift kiss. She froze in place, but closed her eyes for a moment before Sonic pulled away.

"Sal," Sonic said with a smile, "you just don't know when to shut up."

The girl smiled at him with reddened cheeks before Sonic chuckled and looked back at Tails. Upon looking at Tails, Sonic couldn't help but smirk. "Tails, you are a genius."

It was the fox's turn to be bashful as he smiled sheepishly at the compliment. "I just gave you a power ring…"

"Yeah, but did you see what it did? Tails, you saved my life… twice!" Sonic exclaimed, "And what you did in the temple was so awesome. I mean, seriously, you just took the lightning like it was nothing and threw it right back at him! Heck, and you said you were afraid of it, Tails."

Tails smiled, but hesitated to find the right words. "Well… I still am."

Raising his eyebrows Sonic smiled, an unmistakable sense of pride filling him. "I have to say than, that was the bravest thing I ever saw. I don't think I could ever do that with something like water." Sonic told him, glancing back at Sally as if to see if she agreed. Then he looked back at Tails. "Seriously, thanks bud."

Tails smiled at the hedgehog again and nodded, "Really Sonic, it was nothing." He told him as he looked off, "Course, I learned it from the best."

"Heck yeah you did!" Sonic exclaimed, pulling his hand up, "High five man!"

Tails laughed and slapped his hand against Sonic's, a muted clap following immediately afterward. Then, Tails lowered his hand, sighing as his expression softened, "This has been awesome you guys. I've had a blast."

"Sure has! But why are you talking like that? Like you're going to leave?" Sonic asked.

"Because I am." Sonic raised his eyebrows in surprise and Sally released a soft gasp.

"What? Why?" Sally asked, a disappointed look taking over.

Tails shrugged and sighed, staying quiet for a few seconds. "I'm… well…" He furrowed his brow and shook his head before turning back to the two. "This is your journey, you two. I mean yeah I helped, but you guys can do this by yourselves." The fox smiled as he continued. "I really did have fun, but lately, I've been working on a few things that I want to get back to."

Though Tails smiled, the teenage Mobians in front of him sighed. Sally spoke first, "Well… if you want to stay home, there's nothing keeping you." She walked forward, putting her arms around him in a tight hug. "But it's been great having you come along! You did great Tails!"

Tails hugged her back, "Thanks Sally." Then, he smiled mischievously, "Thanks Aunt Sally."

As Sally stepped back, she hummed, "Jeez, I haven't been called that in forever. You know, it kinda makes me feel old now."

Sonic chuckled, "Like an old lady?"

Sally narrowed her eyes, "Watch it hedgehog."

Laughing, Sonic pointed a finger at Sally. "What will you do to get back at me if I don't? Hide behind a rock?"

Sally opened her mouth as if to speak, but quickly closed it and growled. "Shut up." The two boys simply laughed at her reply, and before long, Sally joined in as well. They continued to laugh for a while longer before they said there final goodbyes, exchanged a few more hugs, and went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Whoa! Sorry that's it taken so long to get this up guys, but life has been crazy! The good news is that it's up though. :) And on the 29th, I celebrated my birthday, and that is also good news! Plus, I have a Deviantart account now, so if you want to check out my artwork, the link is on my profile!<p>

Before I say later; however, I've got some sad news. Some of you who read might have noticed my comments made to SSJ04 Mewtwo, a regular reader and reviewer for this story. I didn't know this at the time, but last time I posted a chapter, he wasn't there to read it. In March, he passed away. So this chapter goes out to SSJ04 Mewtwo. Thanks for reading and reviewing this story and for all the help you provided. Thank you.


	22. The Taste of Ice

**Chapter 22: The Taste of Ice**

Though they had spent a full two days resting after the storm temple, nothing could have prepared Sonic and Sally for their next obstacle. Not even prior knowledge of the road to the sixth temple or the idea of the weather that accompanied it would have helped, for it would have been too weak of a prediction to properly aid them. Who would have known that a blizzard of all things was going to hold them back from their goal? Who could have guessed? If Sonic didn't know any better, he would have pinned the blame on the horrible storm spirit.

The journey to the temple had started out like any other. They had got up from a good night's rest and left on the twentieth day; heading off to a mountainous region that was unfamiliar to the two.

Their first stretch of land was rather easy. There were valleys they went across, long winding rivers they braved, and several villages that they passed on their way there. At one point, they even passed through a huge field filled with all sorts of flowers, which made Sally smile and cry out in excitement. Of course, she quickly tried to hide her joy, but to no avail.

"Like the flowers, Sally?" Sonic laughed as he slowed to a stop.

"Well, I think they're okay, but we don't need to stop for them! I'll be fine if we just pass them." She exclaimed.

He let out a simple "ha" before putting her down. "Do you want to know something Sal? I can see right through you; you're not a good liar."

She huffed, "Just because I enjoy the view of a few daisies doesn't mean we can stop on the way to the temple. We have a time limit! If we don't gather all the emeralds before the Eggxterminator's charged, we won't be able to stop Eggman. It's the whole world that's at stake!"

Sonic chuckled as he walked off and knelt down, "Sorry, I can't hear you. I'm too busy threatening the world by smelling the flowers."

At that point, Sally realized how silly the worrisome attitude was, so she quickly gave up on fretting and joined Sonic in his relaxation. Their day of rest eventually led to making the field their camping spot for the night. When the sun rose on the twenty-first day, the two spent only a few minutes eating breakfast before shooting off.

The terrain before them was rather calm for a time, but eventually, it transformed and morphed into something much wilder and fierce. Though Sally had informed Sonic of the location of the temple—an uninhabited mountain range—the hero found himself struggling to stay on top of things. All roads he traveled on were weathered and broken, and in several instances, he found himself having to take long, dangerous jumps to reach their goal. And in some cases, the hedgehog relied on the chaos emeralds to get to the other side of the deep crevices they faced.

But after a few hours of traveling up several inclines, a familiar—and irritating—pounding in his head returned, making him grit his teeth as he did his best to continue on. How was it back? Hadn't the power ring flushed it out—the hurting? No, it was different; the pain wasn't as severe the second time around. Something about the strength of it, the reason behind it; it wasn't quite as… hostile, as the first time. Despite that, though, it didn't take long for Sally to realize that something was wrong. "Sonic, are you okay? You don't look so good."

He shook his head as he ran, "No, I'm not. The headaches are back, but it's not because of the storm spirit. This is different." Sonic told her.

She was careful in how she worded the question, even though it was so short. "How so?"

A cold and bitter wind left him to shiver as he continued up the slope. "It's not as hard, as to say. Not so mean." Sally bit her lip and the hedgehog took in a deep breath. "Don't worry Sal, I'll be fine. This one's going to pass."

And indeed, after a few more minutes of running, the headache died off, and Sonic quickly returned to his top speed. He raced across the land, up the hills—which grew and stretched into full sized mountains—eventually making his way through several banks of powdery fresh snow. The sight made their eyes light up. Though the substance wasn't exactly rare in Knothole, it had been quite some time since either one of them had seen any. It was beautiful, the way that the sun caught certain flakes, making them glitter and sparkle, but the two spent no time to pause and admire. They glanced at it and let its glow soak in (if only for a moment), but they went about their way without a second thought.

As time passed; however, they quickly found themselves growing sick of the snow. Ominous dark gray eventually drifted above their heads, and sharp, stabbing gusts of wind began to whip at their faces. It felt like glass cutting away at them, and it caught Sonic by the throat, holding his breath back as if it was a prisoner. An undeniable cold began to set into his fingers, and it gradually spread to his hands, then his arms, and finally his torso. The feeling was bitter and sharp, but he did his best to shake it off. It was only when Sally started shivering that he started looking for some sort of a shelter.

It took about ten minutes, but Sonic eventually found it within a small sort of a cave hidden among the rocks, the entrance of which was only about two feet tall. Once his eyes fell upon it, he sped up and when he was close enough, he slid onto his back and through the entrance (he didn't even bother to slow down). They fell down into the belly of the cave and within a few moments, the two found themselves bathed in the darkness of the place. It left Sally breathless for a moment, staring and wondering what exactly had happened.

"Chaos ignite." A dwarfed flame lit up the walls and the air, and the hedgehog found himself panting. Though the fire was working as hard as it could, each breath felt like sand and ice down his throat. He coughed once and after standing up straight, he set Sally down.

"Are you okay?" Sally whispered as she brought her hand up, as if to feel his forehead for a temperature.

The hedgehog coughed once more before nodding, moving her hand away softly. "I'm fine. Just cold." He looked down at her once before turning to the fire. "What about you?"

As he strengthened the flames, Sally put her arms around herself. "Same. I didn't expect it to be so… windy."

"Me neither. Perhaps a storm is on its way?" He questioned as he sat on the floor, glancing around in the process. The cave was small and cozy; the ceiling reached up to four feet at it tallest point. In its shortest region, it was only about a foot and half feet tall. All in all, the cave was rather reminiscent of a burrow…

"Sonic, don't say that!" She exclaimed, her body still shaking from the cold. "The last thing we need on our hands is a blizzard."

Despite the fact that for once his heart wasn't in it, Sonic raised an eyebrow. "And talking about it will make it more likely to come?" The sarcasm in his voice was subtle, but enough to make Sally's head whip in his direction.

"If the storm spirit has as much control on weather as I think, then yes, it will make it more likely."

The hedgehog cringed at the words, but only slightly. He had forgotten about the storm spirit's power, sure enough, but Sonic hadn't forgotten that he had quite the grudge against the blue hedgehog. Just the look in the spirit's eye had been enough to tell Sonic that the storm spirit didn't just dislike him; he hated him. And who was to say that he couldn't attack them without an emerald? It wasn't as if he hadn't made storms before…

Sonic nodded, "You're right." Sally arched her eyebrows in surprise, but he paid no attention to her action. "Are you hungry?"

She glanced about the room again. "Yeah, but I don't see anything edible at the moment."

The hedgehog simply smirked and brought his hand up, "Chaos form." And suddenly, to Sally's surprise, an apple appeared within Sonic's grasp. Smiling, he handed it to her.

"I thought you couldn't make objects out of nothing." She whispered, taking the apple in her grasp.

"I can't. I've been storing it with chaos powers." He told her as more food appeared, which was all snatched out of the air before they could fall. "Just in case of something like this."

Sally smirked, "Well," She said, taking a bite out of the apple. "Looks like you thought ahead for once."

Sonic smile once he was done catching all the different kinds of foods. "Not bad, huh?"

The girl merely smiled and nodded, "Not bad at all." Sonic grinned back at her and for a moment, all he could do was stare at her. She had stopped shivering already. It was oddly silent for a moment before Sally furrowed her brow and for some reason, snapped her fingers at him. "Don't look at me like ya momma don't feed you; I ain't yo cheesecake!"

Sonic merely widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows. What on Mobius…? As the words and the action sank into his mind, Sonic started laughing. What had overcome Sally to do something like that of all things? She was always so serious that the action had simply been too much for him. "What the heck was that, Sal?" He was only barely able to put the words in-between his fit of laughter.

Sally, whose cheeks were red, hid her face behind her hands as she realized what exactly she had done. "I have no idea. I'm just tired."

His sides already hurting, he was able to fit in a quick, "I can tell." Before the chuckles and giggles took over completely. Sally simply huffed.

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that the flame had been blazing the entire night and that he had been warm, Sonic awoke shivering. Was it the wind that had caused him to do so, or was it the knowledge of what was out there in the open—the extreme cold? He didn't know, and at the moment, he didn't really care. As soon as his eyes were open, Sonic shot up off the floor and threw his hand forward, calling out, "Chaos ignite!"<p>

The heat intensified as the flame grew in size, and within in an instant, Sally sat up off the floor. "Holy cow!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide, "It is way too hot in here!"

After a few moments, the heat got to the hedgehog as well. "Yeah, sorry." He moved his hands back and forth as if to fan himself, and the flame shrank. "I was cold."

"Really?" She asked, raising her eyebrows as she stood up. "I was sweating all night. It was like I had a ton of blankets on…"

"Well," Sonic whispered, looking off toward the entrance. "I was closer to the front of the cave. And—whoa. That's a lot of snow."

"The entrance…?" Sally turned her head to the natural doorway, her eyes growing wide as her gaze set upon it. It almost looked like a piece of paper—the flurries of white were so chaotic and crazy that it almost appeared as if they weren't there. Just a wall of snowy crystals. No wonder Sonic had been cold…

Sonic was silent for a few more moments before he nodded. "Well, we better get going."

The girl looked at him as if he had lost his mind—which presumably, he had. "What? Out there?" He nodded, "Now?"

"Better now than later. It's not like we have a lot of time to wait for the storm to die down, and who's to say that will anyways?" Sonic asked as he snapped his fingers. "Besides," The fire died after the sound reached the farthest corner of the cave, "If we get cold, we always have the chaos emeralds."

The initial wave of ice hit them like bricks, and it nearly froze them to the bone. Though she tried to be subtle about it, Sally threw her arms around herself. Almost instantly, she had started shivering. "Well…" she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right?"

Sonic smirked, though it appeared to be forced. "You're finally catching on Sal." He said, scooping her up into his arms. "Took you long enough."

"Oh well, you kn-know—" Her teeth had already started chattering, "It only takes about three or four life-threatening situations. N-no big."

He smiled a toothy grin in response before he looked up toward the entrance once again. "Then I guess you're up for one more?" The hedgehog didn't even give her a chance to respond, because by the time she had come up with something, they were already outside in the storm.

* * *

><p>When Sonic had fallen into the river on the night he rescued Sally from the fire, Sonic had found the water to be a little bit less than lukewarm. When Sonic had been stomping angrily in the rain after his fight with Sally, he thought it had been chilly. And when Sonic was in the snow area of the storm temple, he would have liked to have had a jacket. But at that moment within the real blizzard, every other moment of being cold that he had ever faced was blown away.<p>

It was as if the cold had broken his bones and ripped his skin apart. Despite the fact that his legs were warmer than the rest of his body, every step made him wince. The snow was far too deep for him to run comfortably in, he could barely see where he was going, and to make matters worse, exhaustion was already getting the worst of him.

And Sally was shivering. No, not the soft chilled shivers earned from a walk in the rain or a moment spent in the cold, but the kind of shaking that nearly made Sonic's heart stop. She was freezing. Or perhaps, she had already frozen. Sonic didn't know. Her eyes had closed several minutes ago, and it appeared as if she had fallen asleep… or had it been an hour ago? His mind wandered for only a moment before it returned to Sally.

Was she okay? Had she really fallen asleep? Within their current surroundings, though, Sonic wasn't going to allow it. "Sal!" He exclaimed shaking her slightly.

The girl jumped, but not because her name had been called. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" She yelped, "I'm okay." But she still shivered. "W-where are we?" She paused for a moment, her fingers fumbling to grab Nicole from her resting place.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Sal." Sonic told her, narrowing his eyes in a desperate attempt to see better.

She was silent until Sonic shook her again. "We're a few miles away, b-but at the rate we're g-going, we're not going to g-get there for awhile."

Sonic gritted his teeth, "That's no good." He glanced about, his shivering increasing in ferocity with each moment. "How long do you think?"

"I d-don't know, but we need to f-find some shelter s-soon. Or at least, c-can you use a chaos incantation or something like th-that? I'm f-freezing, if you couldn't g-guess."

The hedgehog nodded once; no further words were needed except for the casual, "Chaos ignite." Which, to his shock, did something he hadn't expected at all.

As soon as the last syllable had passed his lips, a powerful force—almost like an explosion—made the hedgehog fly off his feet and into the air, his grip on Sally dying within the instant. A burning pain that ripped through his left leg made him gasp as he flew in the air, and Sally yelped as she flailed her arms in panic. Then, before Sonic could do anything about it, he found himself face-first in the snow, wondering what exactly had gone on.

It took less than a second for his body to react. The hedgehog jumped up onto his feet, his teeth already chattering. Without the warmth provided with constant motion, it made the ice against his skin even worse. Gritting his teeth together, Sonic whipped his head around. "Sal!" He exclaimed, dashing over to where she had fallen. "You okay?"

The girl had landed flat on her back, and her eyes were wide open in shock. She nodded as Sonic took her outstretched arm and pulled her up. "C-cold. That's all."

He nodded in response, "Th-thought so." The hedgehog glanced about, gritting his teeth together as a particularly cold blast of wind whipped past him.

"How d-did that happen?" Sally stuttered and tightened the grip she held around herself as she shuffled her feet.

"I don't kn-know. But I have a feeling that there's something… interfering with my powers again. And if I'm right—"

"We have no way to warm ourselves up."

He turned to look at her, his brow furrowed together as he nodded. "We're just g-going to have to h-hurry. The faster we get to the t-temple and get the emerald, the faster we can…" But what if it was still cold in the temple? He gritted his teeth and looked away, doing his best to dispose of the pessimistic thought. "The faster we c-can get out of h-here."

Sally nodded once as her eyes trailed downward, "Sounds g-good to me. But what are we g-going to do about the…" The princess's voice trailed off without a warning, making Sonic raise an eyebrow.

"About the what, S-Sal?" He asked, turning abruptly to face her.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth was wide open, and she looked as if she was about to scream. "S-Sonic, your leg! It's—oh my gosh, Sonic!"

"What about my le—holy crap." A deep red gash on Sonic's leg was bleeding a dark crimson color, instantly making him freeze in place. The wound was surrounded by burnt flesh and fur, which had blistered and turned into a disturbing combination of red and black. Simply looking at it made him queasy. How on Mobius…?

"Oh my g-gosh!" Sally exclaimed as she hurried next to him and kneeled down, "Your leg! It's… it's…" And as expected, she couldn't find the words; or perhaps, she wouldn't find the words to describe it. "Sonic, how are you g-going to run?" She whispered as she brought her hand forward before quickly pulling back, as if even touching him would destroy him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a slow-growing and powerful pain caused him to bite his lip. The wound was already starting to take its toll. Gritting his teeth, the hedgehog fell back into the snow, making Sally jump. "I could…" Sonic swallowed, doing his best to resist the urge to touch the wound. "I could r-run. This is nothing! I've had m-much worse."

The look on Sally's face instantly told him that she didn't believe him. "Sonic, are you s-serious? You know that you can't r-run in this condition, no matter how m-much you want to!" She yelled, shivering as another powerful gust of wind blew through. Wrapping her arms around herself yet again, she swallowed. "We d-don't have much time, but we d-don't have any other choice. We're going to have to w-walk there. Or at least, we're going to have to f-find shelter, at least until your l-leg is better."

The hedgehog stared at her for a moment. "S-Sal, we don't have any time to w-waste. If I don't run, we're g-going to die. You know that as well as I d-do."

"Yes, but if you exhaust yourself, w-we'll die anyway." Sally told him. "I know you d-don't like it Sonic, but I really don't th-think that there's another choice. I really don't w-want you to get anymore h-hurt than you already are." The tone in her voice made the hedgehog relax his rigid frame, even though the words left an aftertaste of dislike in his throat. "Besides," She stood up, her body shivering even worse (if that was even possible), "We can keep each other warm as we walk."

She reached out her arm to him, and without another word, Sonic took it and helped pull himself up. He cringed when he put weight onto his left leg, but Sally's quick actions reduced the pain significantly. Ever so carefully, she pulled his left arm over her shoulders and put her right arm around his waist. Once they were both in position, she turned to him. "You r-ready?"

He nodded, "As I'll ever b-be."

She nodded in response to him, leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned forward yet again. Then, the two continued onward.

As they went on, the cold intensified and the wind grew ever fiercer. The snow fell down in thicker flakes, and the sheets that descended upon them morphed into full sized blankets of ice. It nearly froze them to the bone. Even with each other's body heat to keep warm with, the lack of proper insulation did nothing to keep them safe from the bitter winds and snow.

And to make matters worse, each step exhausted them. It was as if they were supporting the weight of cinder blocks on their feet as they trekked through the deep snow; every step made their breathing deeper, their heartbeats faster, and their eyelids heavier. Sleep sounded like a wonderful thing at the moment, but they knew for a fact that at that moment, it was their worst enemy.

But it sure did a good idea of appearing to be friendly. Having to support the added weight of Sonic quickly took its toll on Sally as they moved forward. Her pace slowed as the minutes passed, and eventually, it came to a near crawl speed. When Sonic tried to help her walk, though, she lashed out, "N-no! You're n-not g-going to help! You're h-hurt!"  
>And for a few moments after that, she did her best to go faster, but to no avail. Her dampened spirits weakened her beyond her body's exhaustion, and she moved even slower.<p>

And beyond the fact that Sonic was hurting physically from the cold, his pride had been hurt too. He absolutely loathed the fact that Sally was carrying him, especially since she was hurting from it. Even though his leg had suffered a minor setback, he didn't want to keep that from him helping. Heck, it had been the same exact leg that had been cut and broken earlier when he first met back up with Sally; there really should have been nothing that kept him from helping.

Finally after what seemed like eternity, sleep caught her. All at once, Sally collapsed to her knees, and if it hadn't been for Sonic's arm around her shoulders, she would have fallen face-first into the snow. Carefully, Sonic pulled her up onto her feet, wondering for just a moment what to do with her. Then once he had decided, he turned, pulled her up onto his back, and shook her lightly.

"S-Sal, w-wake up." He said, "You c-can't fall asleep on m-me."

He could feel her stir and he heard her mumble, "'Mm fine, Son…i…" She didn't even have the energy to finish his name.

Gritting his teeth, Sonic shook his head. "No, Sal!" He jumped up again, making her jump. "You've g-got to stay awake! A-alright?"

Despite the fact that she nodded (and it was barely that), he knew that his pleads were pointless. She was done, and there was nothing he could do about it. Swallowing, he nodded, doing his best to stay on his feet. He jumped once to readjust her, and he moved her arms to fit around his neck. Then, supporting her by holding her legs, he continued once again up the snowy slope.

But his energy depleted all too quickly. His left leg was burning; the rest of his body was freezing. He felt as if any moment was going to be his last conscious one. Every time he blinked, his eyes stayed closed for a few more seconds until for nearly minutes at a time, he'd walk slumped over, his eyes shut, his breathing heavy. Several times he nearly fell over, but he managed to catch himself at the last possible moment, jolting him awake for just a few precious minutes.

It was during his third jolt of awareness that his thoughts began to race. Were they going to make it to the temple? And if they did, were they going to be okay? What if one of them had frost bite? The last thing he wanted was to lose a toe… or worse, a leg. Gritting his teeth, he shook the thought from his mind and did his best to speed up. No matter what, he was never going to let _that _of all things happen. If it was a choice between losing his leg and dying a horrible, painful death, Sonic would have chosen the latter.

Of course, at that moment, it seemed as if the latter option wasn't too far away. If Nicole had been right—which she was—they were still miles from the temple. And who was to even say if they were still going in the right direction? Sonic mentally kicked himself for not checking. He moved one of his arms back to try and grab the little computer from Sally's pocket, but within that moment, his foot met an uneven bank of snow, and he found himself moving forward faster than he expected.

He did everything he could to catch himself, but he quickly found himself lying in a chilly blanket of snow. His body jolted when he did, and he nearly jumped when Sally rolled off to the side, but his body wouldn't respond to its natural instincts. Instead, he found himself laying there, his eyelids drooping heavier and heavier with each moment.

The hedgehog nearly cursed as he struggled, but he stopped once he had managed to turn to his side. Instantly, his eyes met Sally's. How on Mobius was she still awake? Just as he was about to ask, she spoke in a near dead voice.

"W-We're n-not going t-to make i-it, are w-we?"

He stared at her for a moment, his heart suddenly racing before it slowed once again. Sonic swallowed as he reached and grabbed her hand. Truthfully, he didn't want to answer. So instead, he pulled her closer and whispered, "W-We'll be ok-kay." But he didn't even believe himself at that time.

She tried nodding, but instead, she nodded off, and her eyes closed once again as she shivered. Sonic merely stayed in place, wondering, thinking, and trying to figure out what to do. There was simply no way that they could fail! They had been so close; they had reached the twenty-second day, and they had retrieved five of the seven emerald. Failure simply wasn't an option… but at the same time, it seemed like it wasn't an option. It felt as if it was destiny.

Sonic swallowed hard and deep, and not knowing what else to do, he kissed Sally's forehead. He kept his eyes open and held her close, hoping that somehow, they would be able to keep each other warm enough for anything, whether it was a miracle or… a miracle. Because at that moment, that was their last hope. But even if it came, would it be too late?

He continued to stare at Sally as he shivered; at her closed eyelids and the soft shape of her lips, until finally, he closed his eyes as well.

* * *

><p>Is this what I think it is? An update? GASP! I can hardly believe it either... but it's finally here! :D Sorry it took so long, you guys. XD But don't worry! I'm going to make it up to all of you! I promise!<p>

OhandIlikecliffhangersifyouc ouldn'ttell. Ahem. What was that? Yeah. :D


	23. My Heart Shall FREEZE

**Chapter 23: My Heart Shall FREEZE**

The hedgehog twisted and turned, murmured to himself over and over, "Too hot..." And finally after what felt like a thousand year, cried out and sat up off the mattress, panting deep and heavy breathes. His body nearly instantly disapproved of his reaction, though, and he fell back into his sleeping position within a few seconds. He tried to say, "Too hot." Once again, but the dryness of his throat made him cough instead, his entire body rattling and shaking as a result.

At first when he tried to bring his arm up to cover his mouth, he discovered that it was trapped against his body; wrapped up so tightly that he could barely move his fingers. After a few quick attempts, he pulled his arm out of the "cocoon" that he found himself wrapped up in and covered his mouth. Once his eyes were open and he was done coughing, he found that his vision had turned slightly fuzzy.

He blinked a few times in an attempt to fix it, but instead, he quickly discovered that he wasn't comfortable in his position. When he tried to readjust it; however, a sharp pain shot up and down his leg, making him cringe. It was at that moment that he remembered about the wound on his leg. Then, all at once, he remembered about everything else.

The storm, falling asleep, Sally—where was Sally? Panic quickly took over and he tried to sit up once again, but he found that no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't do it. He had been wrapped up tight in a mummy bag—which had been filled with blankets—and he found that despite being able to free his arm, he couldn't move much. So, instead, the hedgehog lay back down and began to anxiously look around. Almost instantly, relief flooded his heart.

Directly off to his left on the same mattress that he had been placed on was Sally, wrapped up in a mummy sleeping bag with her eyes softly closed. He could see that she was breathing deep regular breathes, and although he could only see her head, she looked pretty good. Hopefully, she hadn't lost any finger or toes.

Doing his best to be quiet about it, Sonic propped himself up on one arm, pulling his other arm out in the process. Other than the fact that her cheeks were more red than usual, she appeared to be sleeping as normal. Carefully, Sonic brought his arm out and brushed a fly-away hair out of her face. Her nose twitched once, making him smile. He was tempted to poke her nose just to see it again, but he quickly changed his mind.

The sound of footsteps made him jump, and without another thought, he clamped his eyes shut and laid back into his spot. Though the thought hadn't occurred to him earlier, he still didn't know if his rescuers were friendly or not, or even if they had had the intentions of actually rescuing them. And speaking of which, where were they anyway? He hadn't really looked around when his eyes were open, but he knew for a fact that he wasn't in any sort of cave like he had been in earlier. Based on the little bit he had actually seen, it had appeared to be some sort of a building…

Had he been on an inflatable mattress, or a real one? He furrowed his brow at the silly thought and swallowed, then suddenly at the sound of the footsteps growing nearer, became rigidly still. Instantly, he recognized that there was more than one set; there were two in fact. One set was light and brisk—a woman's presumably—and the other was heavy and vigorous. Had a couple found them? In the mountains during a blizzard, no less? For a few moments it was quiet except for the footsteps. Then, he heard them speaking.

"Check his leg. If you have to, replace the bandages." Yes, there indeed was a female there. Her voice was light and soft, but it was lined with a rough attitude that made one thing clear; you didn't mess with her.

Sonic did his best to stay still. Then, he did his very best to appear as if he was still sound asleep. He nearly jumped again when his mummy bag was unzipped, and when he felt the blankets being lifted from his body, he was tempted to take a peek at his leg's condition. Instead, he ignored the curiosity and stayed still. If he wanted to figure anything out, listening was his best bet at that moment.

As he lay there, he felt the hands of the second Mobian start to unwrap the bandages around his leg. After a few seconds of resisting the over-whelming urge to flinch or cry out in pain, his leg was swallowed by open air. He heard a hum, "Not much progress. The burn is still at the third degree state, and the wound has only stopped bleeding. Should I give him another—?"

"Yes; otherwise they'll never get to the sixth temple in time." Give him another what? Wait, how did they know about the temples? Sonic had no time to think it over because suddenly, a sharp prick in his leg made his body jolt. Instantly, he was filled with energy and without a second thought, he shot up and yelped, his eyes flying open.

He looked around, his heart racing. Had they just poisoned him? Was he going to have to make a drastic escape in order to survive? And if he did, how was he going to escape with Sally? First, his eyes settled on the female, who had kneeled down next to Sally. She was a black and white cat with green eyes—which were as wide as dinner plates—and a long black tail. She had spiked bangs and she was wearing a thick purple coat and pair of pants, along with a heavy set of matching boots. Almost instantly, Sonic's heart skipped a beat in surprise.

"Hershey?" The cat simply stared at him as Sonic spoke her name. Not knowing what else to say, though Sonic then turned to the man. It took only seconds for his appearance to soak in; he was a black and white skunk with blue eyes and a wild set of white bangs. After that, Sonic didn't really take the time to look at him, because almost instantly, everything clicked together.

His newfound energy—fueled by rage—caused him to shoot up onto his feet, hiss out an angry, "YOU!" and pounce.

The man gasped when Sonic collided with him, and Hershey cried out in surprise. It was at that moment that several other Mobians—people Sonic didn't recognize—rushed into the room. As he continued to lash out and claw at him, the other Mobians joined Hershey's efforts of pulling him off. It took seven minutes and eight of the others to pull him away from the man, and by that point, Sally had stirred awake.

She sat up, her eyelids still droopy, and asked, "Wha' happen'd?"

Finally free from the hedgehog's rage, Geoffrey brushed his bangs out of his eyes and told her in a calm and collected voice, "Your boyfriend 'ere lost 'is temper."

It took four people to keep Sally from trying to claw Geoffrey's eyes out.

* * *

><p>The awkward silence that hung in the air could have broken the room in half, even though Hershey constantly tried to start a positive conversation. One that was sure to have done well, "How long has it been since you two started dating again?" became the worst of all her attempts.<p>

Having already finished the cocoa that had been passed to him, Sonic tightened his clenched fists as Sally took another sip of hers. She then spoke calmly, "A few weeks after Sonic and I met up again. You know, after the fire." The venom in her voice and the glare that she sent him made Geoffrey shrink back for a moment before sitting up straight again.

Hershey looked back and forth between the two before taking a quick glance at Sonic. Within the circle that all of the Mobians had been gathered in, Sonic and Sally stuck out like sore thumbs. The two were the only ones not wearing heavy coats, pants, and boots, and they were both wrapped up in thick, wool blankets. Not to mention, the two had been surrounded by several Mobians that had the job of keeping them in track in case their temper flared again.

"Well…" Hershey started again, her voice nearly trailing off as she spoke. "How did you two get back together?"

Sally's gaze was still locked onto Geoffrey, but once Hershey mentioned _that _particular event, her expression softened. A reminiscent aura and a gentle smile quickly took over as she spoke. "It's a long story, but…" She quickly furrowed her brow together, her glare returning within the blink of an eye. "Right now, it's not something I'd like to concentrate on. Instead," Her gaze shot back to Geoffrey, "Let's talk about you, Geoffrey. How have you been?"

The skunk did his best to pull together a sophisticated aura. "I've been good. Hershey and I 'ave been 'ere in these mountains doing some research for awhile."

"Really?" Sally took another sip of her cocoa, and Sonic gritted his teeth tighter. His blood was boiling simply by looking at him. "What about?"

"Well, I can't really—"

"Research for Eggman, perhaps? Because last time I saw you, you seemed to be getting along with him quite well." Though the ice in her voice was subtle, it was obvious that she was already losing her cool.

Geoffrey's eyes grew wide for a moment, for the accusation had thrown him for a loop (despite the fact that he had been expecting it). "I 'aven't bin working for that bloke!" He exclaimed, "In fact, I've bin—" The man stopped mid-sentence and sighed, shaking his head. He remained silent as he relaxed his position. "I already told you. Hershey and I 'ave bin doing research."

Sally's eyes narrowed, and finally, Sonic spoke. "On what? The best ways to capture and torture Freedom Fighters?"

Hershey's eyes grew wide. "Sonic!" But for once, Sally seemed to approve of his outburst.

The hedgehog ignored her comments as he found his place on his feet, and Sally stood up with him, keeping a tight grasp on the blanket around her in the process. With her free hand, Sally pointed at the skunk, "Or perhaps because you seem to already know so much about it, you're figuring out how to make others loyal to the Eggman Empire!"

The poor cat had covered her hand with her hand, as she no longer knew what to say or do. Geoffrey on the other hand, stood up. "You two 'ave got to be joking!" He exclaimed, "There's no way that I would—"

"Betray the Freedom Fighters?" She spat, "Well I'm sorry, but you kind of already did!"

Finally, Hershey had got up, "Sally, please!"

Other Mobians had started to join the ranks of those on their feet, and the ones around Sonic and Sally had prepared themselves to grab the two if necessary. "I 'avn't betrayed them, I've—"

"Oh, my apologies!" Sally tried to throw her hands into the air for dramatic effect, but she quickly grabbed the blanket around her instead. "I forgot that your idea of freedom is different than ours! I'm sorry if imprisonment doesn't exactly display the message of—"

"ENOUGH!" Geoffrey exclaimed, making everyone—excluding Sonic—jump. "I 'ave direct orders from the king of what I'm supposed to be doing, and I—" But he stopped there as if he had said something he shouldn't have. Instantly, the tension in the air melted away. Sally's expression softened to one of surprise, and Sonic's to one of curiosity.

After a few moments of silence, Sally spoke. "The… king?" He didn't answer, but instead looked away. "The king as in Elias? Elias is alright?" When he didn't respond, Sally's mood transformed yet again. "Geoffrey, answer me! Is my brother okay?"

Her yelling did little to shake him, but he did look at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it yet again, which made Sonic's temper strengthen in power. "Geoffrey, what on Mobius is going on? If you don't tell us right now, I'll—"

"That is none of your concern right now!" Geoffrey finally yelled, his temper having snapped. "The king 'as given—" He paused yet again, shook his head, and gritted his teeth. "You two 'ave your own mission to attend to. Right now, you two need to collect the emeralds and stop Eggman. If you don't, we all know what's going to 'appen, and we all know that it won't be pretty."

Sally looked away, obviously angry that he was right. "I know you two 'ave a lot of questions, but right now, I've got a job to do, and so do you."

The princess huffed and Sonic folded his arms, his brow still furrowed together. "I don't like this. Why are you suddenly acting like you're our friend? And if you have a mission from Elias, why can't you tell us about it?"

"Because I am on your side first of all, and second because it's confidential!" He snapped, "I promise that in time, Elias 'imself will be able to answer all your questions."

"And it's like he said," Hershey stepped in, "You two need to get the next emerald. Today is the twenty-third day, correct? You only have six more days to collect the last two and stop Eggman."

Sonic growled, "I still don't like this."

"You don't have to, Sonic. We can all understand why you're mad. You too Sally," Hershey said, taking a moment to glance at the princess. "But right now, we need you to trust us. We will get you ready for the temple and when the time comes, we will tell you why… why everything happened as it did. I promise you guys, everything will be okay."

Sonic remained silent for a moment. He turned to Sally, and the two exchanged a glance. A thousand words were exchanged within that glance, and finally after what seemed like an eternity, they sighed in unison. "Fine." Sonic said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Okay." Sally whispered after Sonic.

Clapping her hands together, Hershey nodded. "Good. Now, let's get you two some coats!" She exclaimed as she walked towards them, reaching her arm out to Sally. Grabbing it, she led the princess off, careful to make sure that Sally could still hold her blanket as Sonic followed close behind, leaving his blanket. "We've got so many styles; I'm sure there's something that you'll like." And as she spoke, Sally did her best to become engrossed in Hershey's words. Sonic couldn't concentrate; however, because he had decided to take as many opportunities as he could to glare at Geoffrey instead.

The group of Mobians moved through the small building at a quick pace. There were only a few rooms in the building, and the place had been built to be reminiscent of a small home. The room that Sonic and Sally had wakened up in was where all of the Mobians slept, and next to it was one of their storage rooms.

As soon as they stepped through the doorway, Hershey took the lead, turning around right before she reached one of the many racks of coats and pants. "This way, Sally," She said, "I've got some things in your size over here." Sally nodded, following after the black and white cat. Suddenly, though, Hershey turned around and pointed to her husband. "Geoffrey, could you take care of Sonic?"

At that moment, the skunk's body tensed up, but he nodded nonetheless. Once Hershey led Sally away, Geoffrey quickly relaxed his position and turned to Sonic. "This way."

The hedgehog followed the skunk wordlessly down one of the many rows of coats, his arms staying folded the entire time. He kept his gaze—his glare—locked onto him as he began to search through several luxurious coats. Several times, he'd chose one, hold it up to Sonic (and he was careful as he did so), shake his head, and say, "You've grown taller." Or, "Since when did you work out, mate?"

It was only after the sixth coat that he nodded in approval. "There," He cautiously handed it to Sonic, "This one should do it." And then stared at him. Sonic simply stood there for a moment before Geoffrey spoke again. "Aren't you going to put it on?"

Sonic said nothing as he pulled it on, as his thoughts were racing. It fit snuggly against his chest once it was zipped up, and as such, it did its job well. He felt warm and snug, and ready to brace the storm. He nearly smiled, but he resisted the urge since Geoffrey was still there.

Once he was satisfied with how it fit on him, Sonic looked up at Geoffrey, who was holding a scarf and a pair of boots. "I'm guessing that it's rather hard to run with those shoes in the snow, right?" Sonic said nothing; he didn't even nod. Geoffrey rolled his eyes, "These will make it easier."

His vow of silence remained strong as he wrapped the scarf around his neck and as he pulled on the boots. Once he was finished, he stored his shoes away (which instantly made him raise an eyebrow, since his last attempt at using chaos energy hadn't turned out so well) and turned to Geoffrey.

The two stared.

Geoffrey was obviously uncomfortable about it though, so after a minute or two, he sighed. "Um… do you want pants too, or—?"

"No." The word made the skunk jump, and although he didn't smile, Sonic felt rather pleased that Geoffrey appeared so anxious around him.

"No?"

Sonic shook his head, his expression blank and his tone unnaturally even. "I don't like wearing pants. They're uncomfortable to run in."

The surprise left Geoffrey staring, and after a few more moments of silence, the lack of words brought about an awkward aura. Geoffrey shuffled his feet after awhile, and finally after a few seconds of it, he spoke in a nervous and cautious tone. "Sonic, I know that you don't really... like me right now, but—"

But Sonic wasn't going to have any of it. "I could snap your neck without even trying. Did you know that, Geoffrey?" The skunk's body froze up again, and Sonic could see him swallow the lump in his throat from the corner of eye. "If I wanted to, I could make your heart stop with two little words. Oh, and did you know that I know how to make your body go limp so fast that I could take you out without any resistance? Heck, if I wanted to, I could take you on with both arms tied behind my back. That would make it a fair fight, right? You'd have a bit of chance. Maybe even half of a chance that you could hit me. Maybe. But guess what, Geoffrey?" Sonic paused, though he knew that Geoffrey wasn't going to respond.

"Even though I want to, I'm not going to do it. And do you know why?" There was silence for just a moment, "Because despite the fact that you betrayed the Freedom Fighters, I still trust you. Or should I say that I believe you? I don't know. I really don't. A normal person wouldn't trust you; in fact, a normal person would have already finished you off. But here's the thing that I'm pretty sure you already know: I'm not a normal person." At that point in time, Geoffrey stood up straight as if to prove that he wasn't scared of him.

"I know for a fact that there's something going on that I don't know about, and because of that, I'm going to have to trust you. When it comes to that, I really don't have a choice. Plus, Hershey hasn't done anything wrong, and I know for a fact that so long as she's got a say in it, you're going to do the right thing."

Geoffrey stared at the hedgehog, a ghost of a smile nearly gracing his lips as he opened his mouth to speak. Sonic took the opportunity from him first, though. "But if you step one toe out of line, even one hair, Geoffrey," The hedgehog snapped his fingers together, "Just like that, Geoffrey. I wouldn't even break a sweat."

The gaze that the skunk sent to the hero was one of pure surprise and—Sonic had expected it—fear. Despite the shock, though, he swallowed and nodded, as if he truly accepted his fate if he ever dared doing such a thing, and somehow, Sonic knew that he did. Several more glances were exchanged between the two before finally; Sonic turned and walked off towards the entrance, Geoffrey following carefully behind.

Within a few seconds, Sonic was in the front room on the building. All of the other Mobians were there, including Sally, who was dressed in a thick white coat, heavy white pants, and a pair of matching boots. She also had a hat on tight over her head which hid most of her red hair, which had been tied back into a braid. Upon seeing her, Sonic smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She smiled back.

"I believe you have everything you need, right? You've got the medicine and the bandages for Sonic's leg in case it acts up again, right?" Hershey asked, taking Sally's gaze away from Sonic for only a moment. Sally nodded quietly, and Hershey nodded in return. "If you continue heading east, you should reach it in a matter of hours. The terrain is pretty rough though, so please be careful."

Finally by Sally's side once again, Sonic spoke, sighing as he folded his arms. "I still want answers…"

"I know you do, you two." Hershey sighed, "But there isn't time for us to explain everything. You need to be on your way. And I'm sorry to say that even if you come back to this facility after you visit the temple, most of us will be gone. We're heading off to the next one to check up on things with our… other 'colleagues,' and we can't get behind on schedule no matter what."

"Well…" Sally started, "I'm grateful that you were able to help us, despite of everything that's happened. Thank you, Hershey." The princess moved forward and hugged the girl, and she hugged her back.

"It's nothing, really. Just doing my job." She told her, stepping back to look at Sonic. "Sonic, make sure to be careful with your leg. If you agitate it any further, you may not be able to run on it for awhile." Hershey gave Sonic a quick hug too after her instruction (and he returned it as well) before stepping back to stand next to her husband yet again. "Well… I hope to see you two soon."

"Same here." Sally smiled before turning her attention to Geoffrey. Her demeanor instantly changed as she opened her mouth to speak. Her attempt was obviously unsuccessful, but she did her best to keep up a cheerful disposition before quickly closing her mouth. After a few moments, she gave up and her expression soured as she glowered at him, "Stay out of trouble."

One of the many Mobians opened the door at that moment, and a powerful blast of wind whipped through the room at that moment. Though most of the inhabitants of the room quickly tried to shield themselves from the cold, Sonic picked Sally up off the ground. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as if to wish her good luck before turning to look at the other Mobians once again. The two glanced at the other Mobians before Sonic looked directly at Geoffrey and added to Sally's words, "Or else." And with that, they were off again.

* * *

><p>Yes indeed, you're seeing this right: two updates in one day! :D It's a miracle! Ha ha ha! XD<p>

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed these chapters! ^^ I had a blast writing them!


	24. Enter: The Air Temple

** Chapter 24: Enter: The Air Temple**

The glare that had seemed so natural several hours ago was nowhere to be seen as Sonic ran up the side of the mountain, holding Sally carefully to shield her face from the onslaught of wind and the ice. Instead, a quiet and thoughtful expression had found a place on his face, which seemed rather out of character for someone like him. He was usually cracking jokes and using any sort of pun that he could during his runs, but given the fact that he had just met up with the traitor of the Freedom Fighters, Sally couldn't blame him. If she had been him, she probably would have been glaring off into the distance all day, but hey, it was all about personal preference.

Of course, Sally _had _been glaring off into the distance for most of the day, but she had stopped a few minutes ago, mostly because she had been thinking about the blue hedgehog. How was Sonic doing, really? Was he still mad about Geoffrey, or had he been overcome by grief? Was that why he was being so quiet? The girl sighed a quiet breath and shook her head. The only way to know at that point would have been to ask him, and she was pretty sure that he wasn't in a talking mood. In fact, she was one hundred percent sure that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts at that time.

"Sal?" Okay, ninety percent sure. "You still doing alright?"

The girl adjusted her position a little bit so she could glance up at him. Nodding, she spoke carefully, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm still warm!"

He nodded quickly, "Good." And with that, he took a moment to glance about. "Sally, are we getting close?"

She stared blankly for a moment as if she was trying to gather her thoughts together before she quickly nodded and grabbed Nicole from her pocket. A moment was spent clicking buttons and adjusting some settings before a confused expression found its way onto Sally's face. "That can't be right…" Sally whispered, pushing more buttons as she furrowed her brow.

"What can't be right?"

"It says we're only two-thousand feet away from the temple. All I can see is white ahead… even if we are in a snow-storm, we should be able to see at least an outline of the place since it's so big, right? Or at least maybe you can?"

Sonic shrugged. "Maybe. Even I can't see through a blizzard. And let's not forget that for some stupid reason, I can't even use my chaos powers right now either."

"True. But still… this is weird."

"Storm temple weird, or Tails wearing a salmon suit weird?"

"Storm temple—wait, what?"

Sonic simply chuckled at her reaction, and Sally smiled. Though the joke had thrown her for a serious loop, the fact that he _had_ told a joke was a good sign. The last thing she wanted was for Sonic to be down in the dumps. So instead of coming up with a snarky remark, Sally merely smirked as he chuckled. "Just kidding, Sal. But seriously, where is the temple? We can—" Sonic stopped mid-sentence and turned his head to the side and coughed, making Sally raise her eyebrows in surprise. "Jeez, the snow is thick here."

Sally nodded in agreement as she glanced about before looking back at Nicole's screen. "Well, maybe Nicole's right then. Maybe the—" And suddenly, her words caught on something at the back of her throat, for the white around them had suddenly melted away during their ascent. Somehow—and Sally was surprised that they hadn't noticed such—the two had been in the clouds for the past few minutes and they were now unexpectedly facing open sky and the quiet warmth of the sun. It left her breathless, and it left Sonic without words. How on Mobius…?

The silence lasted for only a few seconds until suddenly, Sonic yelped. "Crap!" He abruptly braked as hard as he could, making Sally shriek in surprise. What had caused him to stop so suddenly? When Sally finally looked forward once again, she nearly jumped. They had only been a few feet away from becoming splats on the sixth temple's pure white doors.

Sally continued to stare for a few moments at the doors before Sonic put her on her own feet and looked up. "It's huge. I mean, they all are but… look." Silently, Sally's gaze followed to where Sonic was looking, which instantly made her eyes grow wide. She didn't quite know how it was possible, but as she looked across the mountain tops that breathed above the clouds, she realized that the temple stretched across the peaks of the mountains. And to her surprise, it stretched out as far as the eye could see. In fact, it went beyond what she could see…

"Well… if it's big, then that means it's going to be a challenge." Sonic's words quickly pulled her from her daze, and without another word, she looked at him again. He was wearing his signature grin of mischief and adventure as he walked forward. "Sounds fun, right?"

Sally smirked and rolled her eyes, happy that Sonic was indeed in a better mood. "When you say fun, you mean life threatening, don't you?"

"You say it as if it's a bad thing." Sonic laughed as he glanced around for a moment before smiling. "Oh and look what I found on the door!"

"A rhyme?" He nodded, "Then I get to read it!" She exclaimed as she dashed forward up the few stairs, making Sonic raise an eyebrow.

"Are you really that eager to read it?"

Sally huffed and folded her arms once she was by his side, "You just get to read it most of the time, so I wanted to read it."

He chuckled, "You read it last time, though. In fact, actually… from the last five temples, you've read three of them. You've read most of them, not me."

"I don't care. I get to read it again." Sonic merely chuckled at her words as she read. "Even with eyes that are keen, you cannot race that unseen." She hummed as she placed her hand upon the stone door. "A race? Are we going to have to race someone?"

At that moment, Sonic's ears perked up and he smiled as he pulled his hood off. "I sure hope so! That would be fun." He said, placing his hands on the doors, "Let's just hope the opponent is somewhat of a challenge. I've gone against too many wannabes in my life. The last thing I need is for a lame race this far into our little adventure, right?" And with that, he pushed them forward as hard as he possibly could.

And to their surprise, a gust of wind that would have put the storm spirit to shame whipped out at them as soon as the doors hit the wall. It made Sally yelp as she flew back, and if Sonic hadn't have been there to catch her by the hand, she could have easily flown off the side of the mountain. Once he had her in his arms, he called out a chaos incantation and ducked his head down, shielding Sally's face at the same moment. They were glued to their spot for what felt like forever until the harsh wind died off. When it did, Sonic looked up carefully with an eyebrow raised.

"Hm. I didn't see that coming."

Sally eventually raised her head, her hood still up, and nodded in agreement. She was shaking, though it wasn't from the cold. "Not me. I mean, me neither. Yeah…"

Sonic looked down at her, smiling softly. "Did that scare you?"

She nodded. "Just a bit. Of course, flying off the side of the mountain shouldn't be that scary considering everything I've done lately, but hey, it's still freaky when you go through with it."

The hedgehog smirked yet again, taking her hand in the process. "Don't worry, Sal. I've got you." And with that, the two began to walk into the temple.

Sally smirked, "At this point in time, I'm not sure how safe that makes me feel. I've come to accept the fact that when you 'got me' it's also another way of saying, 'I'm going to throw you into the air soon.' You know?"

"I'm surprised that you can still be sarcastic after almost being thrown off the mountain."

"At this point, my dear hedgehog, nothing surprises me anymore."

"Since when have you called me dear?"

"Since—" And out of the blue, another gust burst through the temple. It silenced both Sonic and Sally within a matter of seconds, and it caused them to cover their faces moments later. The cold wind felt like shards of glass cutting through their skin, and after a few seconds of it, Sally let out a quick gasp and a yelp shortly afterward. If he could have, Sonic would have questioned her on it.

Instead, he kept his mouth shut until the wind stopped and he could put his arms down. He took in a deep breath and shook his head as he turned to Sally, "Sal, do you think that—Sal?" To his surprise, though, Sally was not where she had been moments ago. No, she wasn't beside him and she wasn't off to the side either. Heck, she wasn't even by the entrance! He turned around a few times, taking a few moments to examine the temple as he searched for the girl. The structure was old; no doubt, for signs of its age were everywhere throughout the entrance, but something about the place seemed a little off. It had an aura of excitement rather than danger, and the building itself was spotless. Had it been cleaned recently?

Sonic blinked once at the thought and stopped turning. How could a place like this be so clean? It must have been years since anyone had stepped foot in it. The hedgehog paused and furrowed his brow, folding his arms over his chest as he hummed. There was something familiar about the temple. To him, it felt like something was waiting for him somewhere within the temple. But what? Or perhaps the question was who.

At that thought, Sonic's eyes widened and his ears perked up. Of course! How hadn't he recognized it from before? The interruption from his chaos powers the day earlier, the extreme weather, the fact that the temple was in such good condition; though it was slightly different from the last time, there was no mistaking what it was. There was a spirit nearby, and it had taken Sally. Unlike the last one though, this one was happy to have visitors.

For some reason the thought made Sonic smile. If the spirit wanted to face him, then it was also presumable that the spirit wanted to have some fun. A challenge of some sort, perhaps? A challenge was an invitation to try and a welcome to victory, and he knew for a fact that facing the spirit would indeed be a test worthy of his abilities. He laughed triumphantly at the thought and without another word, threw his arms out, "I accept your challenge, spirit of Mobius!"

It was silent for only a moment before the wind burst again, throwing up flakes of snow as it blew through the temple. The flurries obscured the hedgehog's vision long enough for someone—someone fast—to enter the temple. When they cleared, Sonic's eyes instantly went to the two forms before him. First they went to Sally, who was standing there with wide eyes, her hood pulled back. She looked up at Sonic and opened her mouth to speak, but the man next to her moved his right hand swiftly as if to silence her. Though she didn't know why, she obeyed.

Sonic found himself smiling at the man before him, and the man smiled back at him. He was short for someone who looked like a human—probably only four foot, seven—but he had a slim figure that made up for his lack of height. Surprisingly, though, his body seemed to glow slightly as he stood there, and an aura of adventure and excitement radiated from his form. Overall, he was white in appearance; white clothing, flawless skin, and hair only half a shade darker than snow. Though he was as different as could be when compared to the storm spirit, Sonic could tell that they had one thing in common; both spirits were powerful.

And as if he had heard his thoughts, the spirit smiled again. It was a friendly and giddy grin, and one that made Sonic feel… welcomed for some reason. "I'm glad that you accept, Sonic. I've been looking forward to this."

Sonic smirked at the words and spoke. "Anytime." He paused for a moment afterward, surprised that the spirit had called him by name. "Wait… how do you know my name?"

The spirit laughed for some reason, making Sonic raise an eyebrow in response. "I'm surprised that you have to ask. With how much we hang out, you shouldn't be too surprised as to how I know you."

For a moment, his words confused the hedgehog. Then, Sonic's eyes lit up and another smile took over. "The wind. You're the spirit of air."

He smiled once again and nodded at the hero, "The one and only."

The grin still present and powerful, Sonic spoke again, "So that would explain why this place feels so… familiar, right?" He simply nodded at the hedgehog. "And also why it feels so much nicer here than the storm temple."

"Well," The spirit folded his arms, "There's that and the fact that my brother can be a jerk, but hey, he's always like that. At least he actually came out to say hi, though. Most of my siblings never even visit their temples."

Sonic raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak yet again, but Sally—almost forgotten within the friendly conversation—quickly took the chance from him. "I don't mean to interrupt, um… air spirit, but we need to get going. We're kind of in a hurry. We really need to get the next emerald. Preferably sooner than later."

The spirit glanced at her, a bit surprised that she had spoken without being spoken to. Despite that, though, he shrugged and nodded. "I understand." And suddenly, he was smiling again. "Well, since you guys are in such a hurry, I'm sure you'll like my test."

"A test?" Sally's brow furrowed, but before she could further question him, the spirit turned to Sonic.

"You're supposed to be the fastest thing alive, right?" Sonic nodded, a confident grin still glued to his face. "Then let's see you race the wind."

Sally's eyes widened a bit at that, but Sonic only whistled and laughed. "Sounds fun!"

And as if he hadn't done it enough, the spirit smiled yet again. Then, he brought up his right hand and snapped his fingers. A flurry of flakes was thrown into the air with a powerful and warm gust of air, and once they had fallen to the ground, Sonic found himself farther into the temple. He blinked once to make sure he wasn't seeing things before he looked down into the long hallway of the temple. It went as far as Sonic could see, at least, until it started to curve off to the right slightly…

"The rules are simple!" The voice of the air spirit quickly shook Sonic from his daze and made him turn back to look at him. "You beat me, and I'll give you the emerald I have."

Sonic stared for a moment before nodding. "And if I lose?"

"Then you'll just have to try again. I'm always up for a good race."

"Sounds fair enough." The hedgehog said, steadying his position as he looked ahead yet again. "Where's Sal going to be during this?"

"She'll be at the finish line, so let's not make her wait too long, hm?" Sonic nodded and smiled at him, but the spirit added a quick, "And you can't use your chaos powers during this race!"

Sonic merely raised an eyebrow at that. "All right, no problem. It's not like I haven't raced without them before, right?"

The spirit nodded back at him, turning to the direction of the hallway that Sonic was still facing. He grinned yet again before glancing back at the hedgehog once more. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

The spirit smirked at him and turned forward. "Then let's do this. On three?"

"On three." Sonic said, the two readying their positions in silence. "One,"

"Two,"

When "Three!" left their mouths, the two shot off so fast that the room exploded with a sonic boom so loud, it would have made a jet plane sound shy in comparison. And quickly followed by that was a laugh so psychotic and happy that it would have made the giddiest kid on Christmas sound like a miserable homeless wretch. The adrenaline bursting through Sonic's veins, the quickening of his breath; the thrill of the race was always enough for him. It was enough to make him laugh and smile, and enough to make any bad experience worth it.

And it was obvious that the air spirit felt the same way. His smile was like Sonic's; carefree and as happy as could be, but lined with a sense of determination to win. In an odd way, it was almost as if he was looking at a long lost brother… from a human looking spirit mom thing. Sonic nearly laughed at the thought, but instead, he shook his head and continued speeding ahead. What an odd thought to have at the beginning of such a race…

But Sonic wasn't going to let something so silly distract him. Instead, the hedgehog smiled and nodded to himself. He quickened his pace as they began to near the first corner, his mind racing ahead in the process. The terrain of the temple was unfamiliar to him, so he was going to have to rely on quick thinking and his instincts if he wanted to win. Luckily, that happened to be one of his strong points…

The first corner came quickly, and so did a breath-taking view that nearly slowed the hedgehog to a stop. Just around the turn, the temple's walls opened up to the mountain air and sparkling snow-capped peaks, as well as a few trees that seemed a bit miss-placed within the world of icy white. For a moment, the sight left Sonic with an inability to remember how to breathe. Then he heard a laugh to the immediate right of him, and his head snapped up just in time for him to duck from an on-coming pillar.

He gasped and quickly slid onto his back; his nose barely avoiding the surface of the rock in the process. As soon as the obstacle was passed, the hedgehog shot up onto his feet and continued onward. The spirit had a small lead as a result of Sonic's lack of concentration, but it was nothing the hedgehog couldn't handle. If anything, it reassured Sonic that it was going to be a good race; not one of those, "Hey I'm going to win!" and the racer ended up being slower than Big the Cat when he was ready to pass out.

So with that thought in mind, Sonic sped up again, using the few seconds of clarity to take in the sights ahead. The temple was broken and smashed throughout, and there were pillars and rubble strewn across the pathway. Unlike previous temples, though, Sonic realized that there was something slightly off about the temple. The damage here was not from age and weathering, but rather, something completely different. A scuffle or a crash from something like a plane might have caused it. He didn't know, but at the moment, he wasn't sure if he really cared.

Instead, he processed the information he had taken in and did his best to adjust his strategy accordingly. Most of his time was spent racing forward in a zigzag pattern to avoid the rubble, but several moments were spent performing flips and tricks to move around the bigger problems. Slides and jumps, twists and turns; if it hadn't been for all of his experience in such things, he might have thrown up from how fast he was turning around and moving.

But Sonic quickly discovered that the strategy paid off. Soon enough, he found himself catching back up to the air spirit. A quiet smile found its way onto Sonic's face as he raced ahead. Indeed, it looked like he had a good chance of winning…

As soon as the thought had gone through his head, though, the air spirit turned and started moving backwards—floating—at the same speed that Sonic was running at. "Not bad, Sonic." He smiled, sitting back in a relaxed position as he looked at Sonic. "You're doing pretty good."

The hedgehog smiled and nodded as they rounded a corner, which Sonic took with a sharp and quick drift. "You're not half bad yourself."

The spirit chuckled again and folded his arms. "Indeed." He glanced around at the new area of the temple they had entered as he spoke. A downward slope had led the two to a huge part of the temple; the hallway still stretched on forever, but the place was now much taller and wider. It made Sonic wonder how big the place really was…

"Well then." Sonic's momentary daze was broken yet again, and when he turned to look at the spirit, he found that the spirit was harboring a deadly and devilish smile. "I think it's time we took it up a notch. Shall we?" Wait… what?

The spirit's grin widened and returned to its excited and carefree state, but his eyes harbored a mischievous nature. Before Sonic could say anything, the spirit raised his hand and began to gather chaos energy to the hedgehog's surprise. Hadn't he…?

"Oh, forgot to mention this. _I _can still use chaos powers even though you can't. You know, just to keep it interesting." The spirit grinned while Sonic simply rolled his eyes. To be honest, he had been expecting something like this to happen sometime during the race… he was used to uneven odds thanks to battles with Eggman.

Which, to be honest, almost made Sonic thankful. When the air spirit threw one of the balls of chaos energy—which exploded into a gust of air filled with ice crystals—Sonic barely managed to avoid it. His leg was grazed by one of the shards, but it wasn't enough to slow him down. He gritted his teeth tight together as he continued forward, looking up at the air spirit as he moved. Yes, he was rather grateful towards Eggman at the moment… if he wasn't for him, he wouldn't have been so good with uneven odds and last moment escapes.

"Well," Sonic sighted, jumping off to the side (and barely suppressing a scream) to avoid yet another attack, "This is going to be fun."

* * *

><p>The hum of electricity racing, the racket of clanking metal, the buzzing of the lights; it was a lonely existence, but one Dr. Eggman wouldn't have traded for anything. He found comfort in technology and metal. It was strong and it lasted much longer than flesh and bone. Though he never wished for something such as roboticization to befall upon himself, he was rather fond of how it changed a person's… mind, so to speak.<p>

Despite all this, though, the doctor appreciated the fact that there was still one other person on the Eggxterminator, even if he was irritating beyond belief. He never would have voiced it, but he had sort of… missed Snively, in the way you'd miss a hamster after not seeing it for a week. Though a motherboard and a voice chip were much more obedient than a mind and a sharp tongue, there was something about the presence of other people that was comforting, even for someone like Eggman.

Indeed, even Snively had a place in his… he nearly laughed. _Heart. _No, that was too amusing, nearly hilarious, in fact! Perhaps Snively was right about some things… he had grown soft over the years. But it was no matter. Once he was in control, he'd rule with an iron fist. Nothing would ever get out of hand, no would rise in rebellion. He'd crush their hope before they could even breath the first syllable of their hero's name. No, they wouldn't even be able to dream of it.

The doctor smiled once again at the thought as he walked down the hall. Yes, being on top again would be very enjoyable indeed. He had the perfect plan; a strategy that was destined for victory no matter what. He was sure to win, even if that meant that somehow—however little the chance was—that the Eggxterminator failed. There was still one ace up his sleeve. One that not even any of his robots knew anything about.

Perhaps it was time to check up on that piece of—Eggman suddenly froze in his place as a thought crossed his mind, which easily caught him off guard. How long had it been since Snively had left to intercept Sonic and the Princess? He was sure that his nephew would have returned by now, especially considering how fast the ships were. In fact… Snively should have returned on the previous day. Unless…

The doctor growled and without another word, stormed off. That little rat! How hadn't the doctor realized Snively would try to pull of something so simple? He had indeed returned yesterday, but in one of the Egg-bot's flyers! Dr. Eggman continued down one of the many halls, taking several complicated twists and turns—a puzzle he had been sure that only could master—before finally reaching his goal.

The door before him was like every other in the living quarters of the Eggxterminator, but it was the only one with any kind of security measures. It required a scan of the hand as a pass code, which Eggman performed quickly by flipping his glove off his hand before tightly pulling it back on and walking through the now open door. And as he had suspected, among the hand-written papers and computers stood Snively, his brow furrowed together as he studied the various notes.

At that moment, Eggman took back the comment about missing Snively in a hamsterly way. "Ah Snively," He did his best to keep his tone even and calm, though. "Snooping around as usual, I see?"

His nephew looked up, his eyes free from any sense of fear, and instead filled with a fire that even the doctor couldn't place. "It's strange that you have a locked door when your only companions here are robots and a nephew you consider to be too stupid to read the label on a can of soup." What an odd way to get his point across, Eggman thought. Shrugging it off, Dr. Eggman opened his mouth to speak, but Snively stole the opportunity from him. "You're creating another roboticizer. Aren't you?"

Eggman raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he brushed the comment away, doing his best to change the subject. "You're not supposed to be in here without permission, but even asking would be a push. This is a restricted area, and you know that."

Snively was apparently as good as his uncle at the ignoring-and-keep-talking game. "You're planning to install an unroboticizer in it too."

"Snively, you're pressing buttons that you shouldn't be." At that point, though, Eggman knew that there was no way to truly divert his nephew's attention.

"And according to these records, you have more than Eggbots on here."

"Of course I do, Snively. Thanks to you, I now have several Swatbots on the Eggxterminator as well."

His nephew hissed, "You know that's not what I meant!" The bitterness in his tone caused even Eggman to shrink back for a moment. "You have brought other robots—non combat robots—onto the Eggxterminator. And I know they're not worker robots either. In fact, they aren't even robots that you created."

For a moment, the doctor was silent. "What are you saying, Snively?"

He narrowed his eyes, "Stop playing dumb. I am not a child, uncle_. _I know very well what you're planning, and you're a fool for it."

"Then what are you going to do about it, Snively? Are you going to stop me? I'll tell you right now Snively; you don't want me to be your enemy."

"I'm not going to stop you." For a moment, surprise struck the doctor. "I'm going to let you crash and burn. Something like this, something so cold-hearted and evil… it's a stupid plan, even for you. You should realize this now and you just might be able to save yourself from at least a little bit of pain."

Eggman said nothing other than, "I know what I'm doing."

The nephew growled, "Challenging the hedgehog is one thing, but provoking him is an entirely different thing, _dear uncle_." He spat, his voice full of poison. "If you plan to do anything to _him_, you know very well what Sonic will do to you. And in case you _don't_ know, here's a hint: he won't just throw you in jail, he won't even let you have a trial. He will kill you right then and there."

Eggman scoffed, "You don't think I don't know that, Snively? You think I'd honestly kidnap his father just for show?"

"No." Snively spat, folding his arms in the process. "But to be honest, I don't know why you did it. You said that the Eggxterminator is flawless. Why on Mobius do you need a failsafe?"

For the first time since he stepped into the room, Eggman looked genuinely surprised. "It's not a failsafe, I—" But the man stopped dead in his tracks. For a moment, Snively believed that the man would honestly try to defend his cause, but after a few moments, he growled and turned on the spot. "I don't need to explain myself to you." And with that, he stomped off. "Be at your post in an hour."

Snively watched quietly as his uncle walked through the door and rounded the corner, and as soon as he was out of sight and out of range, the man shook his head and turned back to the notes. "You are a fool, uncle. A hopeless fool."

* * *

><p>With a one-armed flip, a quick gasp for proper breath, and a cleverly placed taunt, "You're not even trying! You missed by a mile!" Sonic found himself growing nearer to the spirit with each second. Soon enough, perhaps, Sonic would be able to pass him. And if he was smart about it, perhaps he'd even be able to take a full lead.<p>

The spirit merely smirked back at the hedgehog (as he was running on his feet yet again). "You're still behind!"

Sonic returned the grin, even though the statement was true. "I still have time!" Though truthfully, Sonic knew that whatever time he had left wasn't much. Their race was reaching its climax, and if he didn't think of something quickly, he was going to lose. And who knew how many tries it would take to win afterward? To be honest, Sonic didn't want to have to try again. They were still quite behind when it came to collecting emeralds, and if the race ended up taking several attempts, they were going to have a difficult time getting to the final temple in time.

So the question ringing through his mind was how. How was he going to beat the spirit? How was he going to defeat the wind? The wind for crying out loud! He might as well have been racing without his legs, or heck, running down the halls blind!

Blind. At that moment, the rhyme at the beginning of the temple ran through his mind. "Even with eyes that are keen, you cannot race that unseen." It was an odd phrase when Sonic thought about it, especially when compared to the other temple rhymes. "Race that unseen" and "eyes that are keen"… if it would have possible, a light-bulb would have appeared and lit up right over his head at that moment. Granted, it was a dumb idea and there was a possibility that it could have killed him, but hey, stupid ideas had become his specialty as of late, so why not try it?

He shrugged to himself as if to answer his own question, then he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was worth the shot, right? Without another thought, Sonic sped up his pace, wondering silently to himself if he was losing it. Or perhaps it had been the air spirit that had prompted him to close his eyes. Maybe he was going to end up running himself into the wall… which was not something that he wanted to have happen.

"Getting tired, Sonic?"

Despite the fact that he wasn't quite sure on how he was doing, he smiled. "I'm fine! Heck, I'm just about ready to pass you."

"Really? We'll just have to see about that."

Sonic merely listened as he ran, and he took in a deep breath. He honestly had no idea of how he was doing… and even if he did, was it something he would be happy with? What if he was actually drastically behind? What if he had to race again? At this point, the only thing he could do was trust his instincts. Otherwise, he was going to… at that moment, something clicked in Sonic's head, and he found himself furrowing his brow as a result.

What on Mobius was wrong with him? Why was he being so… whiny? He was Sonic the Hedgehog for crying out loud! He was the fastest thing alive, and no matter what, that was never going to change! If he wanted to, he could beat the wind spirit himself in a race. Heck, he could do it with his eyes closed.

And that was exactly what he was going to do.

So with a quick smile, Sonic let out a laugh and ran. He ran as fast as he could; so fast that he could feel air whip around his face and slash out at his skin like needles, but he didn't care. With the wind at his side—quite literally—and his feet touching the ground, he felt freer than ever. Nothing could catch him, nothing could touch him, nothing would ever get in his way. Nothing would ever keep him down.

He was free!

And for just a moment, weightlessness grasped him and he smiled a wider grin, throwing his arms out as his heart beat faster and faster. The rush of the race, the blood pumping through his heart, the air moving past him; everything and nothing all at once, all the world moving around him, the world becoming nothing but a blur; this was not just what he loved to do, this was who he was.

He was freedom!

No matter how much trial, no matter how much pain, no matter what anyone said, this was what he wanted. This was what he _needed. _And somehow over time, it had become something he had started to share with others. The thrill of running, of moving, of freedom coursing through his veins; it almost felt selfish to keep it all to himself. What good was a hero if he refused to share? It sounded silly, but to Sonic, it was something that pleased him.

And he was happy.

His heart beating faster and faster with each moment, Sonic took in a deep breath and finally opened his eyes again. Before him, the temple's long hallway ended and opened up into a huge courtyard of color and life, which left him breathless for just a moment. There were flowers everywhere, fountains with intricately designed statues, and right in the middle of the garden was—to his surprise—Sally, looking around in confusion.

Sonic smiled when his eyes set upon her, and when he turned to look forward, he found himself becoming over-whelmed with excitement once again. The finale of the race was a giant jump ramp; one that would send him flying right into the middle of the garden (and right next to Sally as well). It was a fitting finale for a race as entertaining and fierce as theirs.

Then after only about a second of examining it, Sonic stepped onto the ramp and was thrown forward into the air. It left him without proper breath for just a moment, but he quickly regained it within his descent. He was wordless as he fell, and when he landed on the ground, he was able to do it without making a spoken sound. Sally on the other hand, was unable to stay quiet.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Sally yelped and jumped, then turned on the spot. She stared at the hedgehog with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You scared me."

Sonic returned the blank stare for just a moment, but then he laughed. "Good! That was my goal." The hedgehog smiled again at the girl, then glanced up at the sky where he had been moments ago. As had been expected, the two saw the air spirit slowly floating down, a light smile resting happily on his face. He was silent until he landed with a soft thump onto the garden's ground.

"Nice race!" The air spirit exclaimed, "That was sweet."

Sonic smiled and nodded. "Thanks. You were pretty awesome too!"

The spirit nodded in response as he reached his out hand toward Sonic with his palm facing up. He whispered a chaos incantation of some sort and without the blink of an eye (and a flash of light), the sixth emerald—the cyan jewel—appeared in his grasp. Holding it out to the hedgehog, the spirit spoke. "And as I promised, here's the emerald. I'm pretty sure you guys are going to need it…"

Sonic took the gem without another word. He tossed it up once before it blinked away to wherever he stored the chaos emeralds. Once it was gone, Sonic looked back at the spirit. "Thank you."

"No problem, dude. Just doing my job!" The spirit smirked once more before humming suddenly. "Say, do you guys needs a ride back to the valley?"

Sonic quickly shook his head, "No, we're fine." Even though he couldn't see it, Sonic could feel Sally's glare drilling a hole into the back of his head. "There's something we need to… check on before we go." Sonic told him, doing his best to be subtle about the tone.

And luckily for him, Sally seemed to catch on. "That's right! We'd take it up any other day, but we really need to go back and see if we left our… thing behind."

All Sonic could do was raise an eyebrow. "Really Sal? A thing?"

She huffed. "Just pick me up and make your dramatic getaway thingy. I'm in no mood for a battle of the wits."

Sonic laughed and scooped her up into his arms. "You're just scared that I'd win."

"That, and after being thrown around with all these chaos controls, I feel like my brain has been literally scrambled."

"Then just sit back and relax, Sal. Leave it all to me."

Sally sighed, rested her head on Sonic's chest as she nodded. "Sounds good to me." Sonic nodded in agreement, and as she closed her eyes, Sonic glanced back at the spirit and smiled. The spirit returned the grin, and within the blink of an eye, the three disappeared.

* * *

><p>Hey guys! :D I'm still alive! XD And I updated! I hope you guys liked this chapter! ^^ I had a lot of fun with this! And hopefully, I can update again before too long.<p>

Something new: I now reply to reviews. So when you review, I will happily reply!

What is that Eggman up to? Hm...


	25. Nightmares, Night Terrors

** Chapter 25: Nightmares, Night Terrors**

One foot after another, never taking a moment to brace himself or catch his breath, Sonic ran as swiftly as he could. Jumping across chasms, flying through snow banks; even Sally had been amazed with the speed he was moving at. He had been going so fast that—to Sally's surprise—he had started panting as he rushed across the snow, and to be honest, it had started to worry her. Why on Mobius was he pushing himself so hard? Was he _that _determined to get out of the mountain range so fast? Sally didn't know. If it hadn't been for the fact that his chaos powers were so disturbed in the mountains, she knew he would have chaos controlled out of the mountains within the blink of an eye.

But because that was impossible, Sonic had to rely on his signature skill once again to get them home. It didn't bother him in the slightest bit since he loved it, but in a way, it bothered Sally. He had just participated in a race with a spirit of Mobius—a spirit for crying out loud—and now, he was racing as if there was no tomorrow; as if his life depended on it. Why on Mobius was he pushing himself so hard? Was there something bothering him? Did he hate the cold that much?

Sally pondered upon it for a long time, but she never got the chance to ask him because by the time she gathered the courage to do it, Sonic suddenly cried out. "There!"

The princess looked up to what he had seen and raised her eyebrows in surprise. The compound they had spend the night at earlier? Though she was a little bit surprised to see it, she had known deep down that he was going to want to come back to that place. And to blunt, she had wanted to go back to visit it too. If there was a chance that Geoffrey was still there… well, she was still very tempted to punch him in the face. She really was.

It took only a few seconds after spotting the compound to reach it, and as soon as they were there, Sonic opened the door. He didn't stop to knock, and he didn't put Sally down until they were inside. For a few moments, he stood there with an angry and concentrated expression as he glanced about, looking furiously for the skunk. Then without so much as an invitation, Sonic walked further inside the compound, quickly followed by Sally.

After taking about ten steps inside the building, a series of loud and frantic shouts greeted the two. "Intruder alert, intruder alert!" And soon after, several of the compounds inhabitants dashed inside the room, carrying their heavy armor and weapons as they had been earlier.

When Sally glanced at Sonic, she could see him roll his eyes. "Always light on the artillery, I see."

When the workers laid their eyes on two, their expressions instantly lightened and they lowered their weapons. Some of them sighed as if they had been disappointed with the lack of action they were receiving, while others sighed in relief. Most of them turned to walk back to whatever they were doing (probably playing video games; Call of Duty, by Sally's guess), but one walked towards them. Sally couldn't tell what kind of animal it was—probably a cold dwelling animal, though—but she knew by the way it walked that it was a male.

"Nice to see you two again. You sure did finish up your errands quickly, hm?" Sonic merely nodded in response. The man took in a deep breath and nodded as he continued. "I'm assuming that you're here to talk to Hershey and Geoffrey. Am I right?"

Sonic nodded again, but it was Sally who took a turn to talk. "We need some answers. Even if he's been ordered not to say anything, we really just want to know if everyone is all right."

The man stood there for a long time. Then, sighing, he nodded. "All right. Come this way." He turned on the spot and headed back down the hall, and with a quick exchange of glances, Sonic and Sally followed him.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. The room they entered was large and filled with computers and several workers as well. Most of them were off at the other end of the room, their eyes glued to a TV where an "intense" Call of Duty tournament was being held. It was rather loud thanks to that, but it wasn't anything that bothered Sally too bad. It wasn't like she had had to hold a meeting with loud noises in the background before…

"They left shortly after you two left for your mission, and before you even think about it, I wouldn't suggest tracking them." Sally blinked once, turning away from the group of players and to the computer that the worker had sat down by. Sonic was standing there with folded arms and a slightly irritated expression as the worker pulled up a document on the computer. "They wrote this before they left."

Before Sally even had the chance to lean in and glance at any of it, Sonic started reading it out loud. "We apologize to Sonic and Sally for leaving so suddenly, but we have urgent business that we have to attend to. If we had the time and the means, we would explain to you two about what exactly is going on, but since neither of those two things is in supply at the moment, we can't. And even if we could, the orders we have received from our 'higher ups' are keeping us from relaying any spec of information to you two. However…" And suddenly, Sonic's ears perked up and his spirit lightened in an instant. "We can tell you this: the Freedom Fighters Bunnie, Rotor, and Antoine are indeed safe and alive! We do not know where they are or what physical condition they are in, but we know for a fact that they are alive!"

"Though we do not know much else, we wish you well on your journey, and we hope to be seeing you two on the news soon. Kick Eggman's butt for us! Sincerely, Hershey and Geoffrey." Sonic swallowed a big gulp of air after that (since he had recited the entire thing in one breath) and turned to Sally. For the first time since the air temple, he smiled. "Sal, they're alive!"

Excitement also filling Sally, she smiled and turned to Sonic. "I can barely believe it!" She exclaimed, "But I don't know how we're going to rescue them, much less find them." Her shoulders slumped at her own comment and she sighed, a slight smile still on her face. "But it's nice to know that they're okay. Right?" Sonic nodded in agreement, and the man spoke again.

"Hershey and Geoffrey also told me to tell you two that you're welcome to spend the night here." He told them, standing up out of the chair in the process. "And if you're staying, you're also welcome to dinner too. If I'm right, we'll be having chili dogs tonight."

Though Sally opened her mouth to speak, she knew Sonic was going to beat her to it. "Heck yeah we'll stay!" Both Sally and the worker laughed at his outburst, but he merely smiled his signature grin as a response.

Still laughed and smiling as he walked off toward the doorway, Rod spoke. "Well, I'm glad that you're so excited to be spending the night here. We'll be having dinner in about… a half an hour I believe. Afterward, I'll be more than happy to show you both to your room, if you like."

Sonic and Sally smiled at him, and Sonic spoke. "Thanks…"

"Rod."

"Thanks, Rod." Sonic said, nodding at him one more time before he walked off down the hallway again. Once he was gone, the two turned back to the computer screen and stared at the screen and the message—their glimmer of hope—on it.

* * *

><p>After Sonic had consumed at least half of the chili dogs at dinner (shocking the vast majority of the Mobians there), both Sonic and Sally had been led to their room by Rod, who they learned was a Husky. In comparison to the rest of the institution it was a small room, but it had at least six beds throughout it, each decorated in its own unique bedspread. They were all also surprisingly large.<p>

When they entered the room, Sally found herself staring at each bed for a long time, pondering on which one to take. That one looked rather tall, and that one had an oddly colored blanket… none of them really appealed to her, expect for the one that was closest to the bed Sonic had claimed. It had purple blankets and pillows, which were decorated in flowers of all sorts. Some of them she could name, and some—

"Sal, stop trying to classify the plants, they're not even real." How on Mobius did he do that? Sally nearly flushed at Sonic's words for some reason, but despite that, she walked towards the bed. She jumped up onto it once she was close enough, pleasantly surprised with how soft it was. It was very nice for something so far out in the middle of nowhere…

"We'll be having a Call of Duty tournament almost all night, if you want to come." Sally turned to glance back at Rod, while Sonic simply sat on the bed in his signature one-leg-crossed-over-the-other-and-his-hands-tucked-behind-his-head position. "If not, feel free to sleep."

Sally smiled at him, and Rod left once again. With that, Sally turned to look at Sonic, who had already pulled off his snow boots. When had he done that? She shrugged to herself and did the same, placing the boots neatly to the side of her bed. She was still wearing her winter attire (and Sonic was doing the same) since the compound was still a bit cold. Not to mention the fact that she was still shivering every once in awhile because of the lingering chill…

"Sal?" Sally's ears perked up suddenly as she was pulled from her thoughts, and she turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. She was unsurprised to see that Sonic was sitting right next to her on her bed, wearing an oddly thoughtful expression.

Sitting back onto the bed so she was more comfortable (and a little closer to Sonic), Sally spoke. "Yeah?"

Sonic took in a deep breath and sighed as he looked her in the eye. "Is it dumb that I'm mad about Geoffrey and Hershey leaving?"

Sally's eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Of course not! Why on Mobius are you asking such a silly question? It's perfectly fine for you to be mad."

Shrugging, Sonic sat back into a more comfortable position. "I know, I know. But you know me. I'm supposed to be the 'laid back' one. Grudges aren't really my thing, and as angry as I am at that dirt-bag, I don't want to be mad at him." He sighed, shaking his head at himself. "I must sound really stupid right now, huh?"

The girl merely shook her head and smiled. "Not at all. In fact, I think it's… rather mature of you. Noble, even. It's a good thing that you're trying to forgive him."

The blue hedgehog smiled at her. "And what about you? What do you think of that skunk right now?"

Sally shrugged, "I want to strangle him. I'm still… a bit angry at him, if you want to put it that way."

"I can respect that." Sonic sighed, closing his eyes for just a moment. "And I don't blame you for it either. It must have been pretty awful; the raid on Knothole."

Sighing, Sally's ears fell. "It was."

His eyes opening again, Sonic sat up on the bed, looking at Sally in the eye. "I'm sorry, Sal."

She shook her head, "Don't say you're sorry, Sonic. It wasn't your fault."

"I know." He said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it anyway." Carefully, he kissed her forehead. "But don't worry… we'll rescue them. And if we need to, we'll even get some help doing it. I bet that Tails can…" And then, suddenly, his eyes grew wide. "Sal, we never told Tails."

"About Geoffrey?"

"About anything!" Sonic exclaimed, "That Knothole was destroyed, or that Geoffrey betrayed us… we've been out here doing whatever we want, and we've barely even given that a second thought."

Sally hummed. "You're right." Her brow furrowing, Sally growled to herself. "I can't believe we forgot about that."

Sonic sighed, "I know." And then, folding his arms, Sonic put on a serious expression. "We really need to tell him what's happened. It isn't fair to keep him out of the loop."

Nodding in agreement, Sally pulled Nicole out of her pocket, exchanging a glance with Sonic before looking down at the tiny computer. "I'll call him." With the click of a few buttons, the computer had dialed Tails's house, and for a few moments, it was nearly dead quiet as it rang. The only sound that was present was the buzzing of the lights above them…

"Hello?" After a few moments, the cheerful voice of the young boy echoed from the computer. "Sonic? Sally? What's up?" Tails asked, his expression on the screen displaying his obvious confusion and wonder going on in his mind.

Taking in a deep breath, Sally glanced at Sonic. He was wearing a thoughtful expression and a furrowed brow, and before Sally could say anything, he spoke. "We just, uh… wanted to call and talk to you Tails. Give you some updates on a few things."

The boy's ears perked up at that. "Great! Did you guys get the sixth emerald?"

Sonic simply nodded, and Tails's smile widened. "Plus, we ran into some old… acquaintances along the way."

"Really? Who?"

The blue hedgehog took in a deep breath and sighed. "Geoffrey and Hershey."

The fox's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he temporarily moved off screen (was he working on something?) before saying, "What were they doing way out there?"

"We don't know, but…" Sonic sighed another heavy breath, "Geoffrey's not exactly highly favored by either of us right now."

Tails raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why's that?"

Sonic exchanged another long glance with Sally, his brows furrowed together for a fraction of a second. "It's a long story, Tails. A really long story."

"I've got time to talk, Sonic." Tails countered. "I'm willing to listen."

Another sigh followed, and Sonic spoke. "Alright. But get ready to throw something at Geoffrey's head when you're done."

And sure enough, once the story had been completely relayed by the two—the raid on Knothole, the kidnapping of the Freedom Fighters, Geoffrey's betrayal, being rescued by him and Hershey—Tails was wearing an expression of pure disgust. He looked like he was ready to throw up and yell at the skunk at the same time, and for a moment after Sonic had finished his story, he had believed that Tails was going to start his very own rant of how angry he was. Instead, though, he only shared a few words. "I can't believe him."

The blue hedgehog struggled to find the right words in response. "Me neither. I still don't know what we're going to do about the whole situation, other than rescuing the Freedom Fighters. Finding a starting point in this situation is a bit… difficult, at this point."

Tails nodded in agreement. "Especially since we have no idea where Eggman could have taken that many people. He may have the resources for taking care of several bases and hundreds of thousands of robots at once, but he isn't exactly what I'd like to call a people person. How would he even feed that many people, much less take care of their other basic accommodations?"

Sonic took in a deep breath. "Exactly…" And for a while, he was quiet. "Do you think he roboticized any of them?"

The other two's forms went rigidly stiff as soon as he had spoken, and silence took over once again. "I… I don't know, Sonic." Tails finally said after an entire minute of listening to the buzzing of the lights, "I really don't know."

Sonic simply sat there after that, and though it was subtle, both Sally and Tails could see that his spirit's had dropped. His face fell a bit, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he slumped more in the bed. "But we will be able to rescue them, Sonic. We will." He merely sighed and nodded in response.

"I know."

From there, the conversation consisted of several "good lucks," "you can do its," and a very enthusiastic "I'll be watching the news!" And after the traditional goodbyes were issued and Sally and Tails hung up, the hedgehog and the chipmunk-squirrel hybrid sat there in silence for a few long minutes on the bed.

"Sonic?"

"Yeah, Sal?"

"Everything's going to be okay."

Sonic took in a deep breath and turned to her, an expression of exhaustion on his face. "I know." Then, furrowing his brow, Sonic spoke, his spirits beginning to lighten up. "Holy cow. Here you are, Sally Alicia Acorn, trying to cheer me up, Sonic the Hedgehog of all people. The world has just gone mad."

She simply offered a soft smile in reply, kissing him on the cheek. He grinned at it, and very quickly, his face lit up again. "If anyone can do it, Sonic, it's going to be you."

The grin quickly transforming into his cocky smirk, Sonic stood up off the bed. "You better believe it, Sal! And you're going to help me with it!" He exclaimed, making her giggle in response. "But first, let's go whip some butts on Call of Duty."

Sally rolled her eyes as she too stood up off the bed, following her boyfriend down the hallway. "You're such a boy."

He merely laughed a devilish chuckle in response.

* * *

><p>Though a mother board processed it as dark, a mind would have recognized it as <em>darkness. <em>They were two entirely different things, especially diverse when viewed by a Mobian and Robian. Dark was the absence of light, and it was a simple as that. At best it was a scientific term, and in its simplest, a way to describe other colors. Darkness, however, was much worse. It was loneliness, fear, the pure and utter truth that somewhere in the dark, there was a creature stirring, ready to attack. Dark was dark. Darkness was fear.

But in his current state of… mind, if he could call it that, Jules couldn't feel it. The fear that was so easily associated with darkness meant nothing to him at that moment, and it never was going to. It hadn't for a long time. From the eyes of a Robian that had once been a Mobian, he could recognize the fear and he could believe that he was scared, but it didn't feel like he was actually scared. The physical aspect wasn't present; the clenching up of his muscles, the rise in body temperature, the shaking… it simply wasn't fear. It was him trying to convince himself that he _could_ be scared.

And it wasn't enough. It hadn't been enough for those few hours of chaos several weeks ago, those first few days after he had been captured, and the total darkness that had swallowed him for weeks on end afterwards. No matter which angle he observed it, it wasn't enough to convince himself that he was still… alive, or that he was still going to be able to see his wife again, or his brother, or his son, or the king, or anyone.

Though it was a useless gesture, Jules sighed and shook his head. He was sick of being kept in the dark—literally. More than anything, he wanted to know—he needed to know—if his wife was okay, if his brother was okay, and if his son—

His train of thought froze in place, and he stopped to linger on that subject. He hadn't seen his son in years. Sure, he had seenhim on the TV saving the world and doing what he did best, but he hadn't actually _seen _his boy in far too long. After such a long period of absence, it was almost as if the boy didn't exist anymore. Like he was only a fond memory or a far off dream; a fleeting thought that lasted for only a moment before disappearing for good. It made him sick.

Well, not sick, but empty. Lonely and sad. Cold.

He sighed again, shaking his head as he lay down on his bed. Though he couldn't actually sleep, it felt nice to sit back and stare at the, well, darkness. He didn't know why it did, though, but in a way, it made him think. Reflect. Dream. Hope…

Maybe one day, he'd see them all again. Hopefully. Maybe.

* * *

><p>"You're stupid. You're really stupid. You know that?"<p>

The blue hedgehog opened his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he looked up at her, her arms folded. She didn't look mad like he had expected her to, but… she looked sad, really. Hurt, maybe. Why? Sonic furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak, "Sa—" But the moment he did, water rushed into his mouth and a moment later, into his lungs.

His heart skipped a thousand beats and he tried to scream, but it only made the situation worse. The blur of water covering his eyes soon accompanied his lack of oxygen, and as he began to thrash about, he heard her speak again. "You're just really stupid."

The room he was in suddenly faded to black—whatever color it had been before, he couldn't remember—and the water around him seemed to thicken. Without another thought, he turned to look back at her again, but instead of seeing Sal, he saw a blue metallic hedgehog. His heart stopped, and without stopping to think, he opened his mouth again. "Da—" But instead of water rushing into his lungs, a force of a thousand pounds threw him back, knocking whatever breath he had left in him out.

Before he could even think of blinking, he crashed into some unseen force so hard that he nearly blacked out. Instead of passing out, though, stars danced across his vision, and in the background he could hear the unmistakable cackling of Dr. Eggman echoing throughout the room. And again he heard Sally speak, "You're so stupid."

Closing his eyes for only a moment, Sonic growled. He had to get out of here. Spending a few moments to feel the surface behind him, Sonic gritted his teeth together, doing his best to push away from the wall. For a moment he was floating forward, gazing into the darkness, his arm reached out to anything he could grasp—and suddenly, something grabbed him by the throat and threw him back into the wall. Hard.

Fireworks were set off against his vision, and his wind pipe was crushed by cold metal (though it really didn't mater at the moment since he couldn't breathe anyway). When he opened his eyes, he was met by two pairs of eyes—the eyes of Robians—cold and unfeeling, as always. "You're so stupid. You really are so stupid."

His mind racing as he took turns staring at both of them—the blue hedgehog on his right, and the chipmunk-squirrel hybrid on his left—he failed to recognize the sharp claws aimed at his chest. When he did spot them, however, it was far too late. They pierced him all at once, and a pain like none filled him. He opened his mouth to scream, but the harsh remembrance struck him once again, and instead, he took in more water, if that was even possible.

"You're so stupid, Sonic." She told him again as he looked at her, his eyes instantly traveling to the gaping hole in her robotic body, "You just don't get it."

His vision gradually beginning to blur and his heart racing even faster, Sonic gritted his teeth. He took a moment to glance at the robotic hedgehog, and then back to Sally again, and towards the hedgehog once more. She continued to taunt him as the maniacal cackle went off in the background, and somewhere even farther back into the distance, Sonic could hear a softer voice cry out, "Sonic! Wake up!"

It was too much. It was all too much; the laughing, the taunting, the drowning, the pain, not being able to scream—and suddenly, there was another sting in his chest. He cried out again—tried to, at least—and his eyes instantly shot at the blue hedgehog. His eyes were cold and unfeeling, and when he spoke, it sent shivers up and down his spine. "You've disappointed me, son."

The hedgehog's heart skipped another thousand beat, and before anything else could happen, the two Robians pulled their arms back again, their hands in the forms of sharp metal claws. They threw their hands at him, and all the while, Sonic could hear that voice in the background growing louder and louder, "Sonic, wake up! Sonic!" And just as the onslaught was about to reach him, Sonic finally opened his mouth and screamed out loud, sitting up off his bed.

His heart was racing, he was panting, and there was sweat racing down his brow. And yet, even though he was awake, he could see it everywhere he looked. He could hear them taunting him in the blackness, he could feel the force of the water crushing his lungs and his body, and the metal pressed right against his wind-pipe. He felt like he was suffocating. Like he was going to collapse at any given moment. Like he was still drowning.

"Sonic," The blue hedgehog jumped at the sound of Sally's voice, but the moment he turned to her, the darkness dancing around him melted away. She looked as normal as could be (excluding the worry and fear on her face, which in a way was actually pretty normal), which instantly sent a wave of relief through his body. "Are you okay?"

Sonic spent no time thinking. He responded with a lightning quick nod and faked a laugh. "Of course I am! Just a bad dream."

Sally's ears flopped down at that, and she sighed. "You were screaming. I don't think you've ever done that before in your sleep."

Screaming? Despite the fact that that little tidbit of news did worry him slightly, Sonic shook it off and smiled. "I'm okay, Sal. Don't worry about it."

"Okay…" Sally took in deep breath, sweeping her bangs out of her face as she looked at Sonic again.

Offering a soft smile in reply, Sonic nodded at her. "Really, Sal. I'm fine."

Nodding once, Sally sighed and leaned towards him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before standing back, smiling at him the entire time. "Then have a good night's sleep, okay?" He nodded in response, "I love you, Sonic."

"Love you too, Sal."

And with that, Sally quickly rushed to the doorway, turned off the light, and rushed across the room and got back into her bed. For a few moments, Sonic sat still in the dark, his mind racing the entire time. He lay back down after awhile, wondering and reflecting on the nightmare. What had brought it about? Why on Mobius had he had such a dream like that? He nearly shivered at the thought of it, and though he wouldn't have admitted to it in a thousand years, the thought of anything, really, in the dream becoming a reality terrified him. To see Sally in such a state or to see his father being controlled again… for some reason, it made the taste of failure seem so much more possible.

_Stop being such a wimp, dude! You're Sonic the Hedgehog! You're the—_

"Shut up." Sonic growled under his breath, the voice in his head freezing at the very first uttered syllable. "Just… shut up." He whispered, pulling his pillow over his head. "Shut. Up." And from there, the room became as silent as could be, and after a few long minutes, Sonic fell back asleep.

* * *

><p>Yay! :D A new chapter! I had a ton of fun with this one! ^^ Woo-hoo! And look-one more emerald to go! :D<p>

Thanks to jtcr, Chicket the Chickadee, ShadowEmpress76, and brave kid for all the reviews! They mean a lot to me! ^^ I hope you guys will be looking forward to the next chapter!

Oh, and I hope you all had a good "end of the world" yesterday. ;) And have a Merry Christmas! XD


	26. Enter: The Light Temple

** Chapter 26: Enter: The Light Temple**

One day. That was all the time that was left for the two—the hero and the princess—to recover the last emerald, stop Eggman, and ultimately, save the world. Only a mere day to finish their travels, make their way through the last terrifyingly dangerous temple, and race out to their final destination.

So in simple terms, it was a "No pressure"situation. Which of course, always managed to translate to a "Just kidding, it's a lot of pressure,"situation, thus leaving Sally in a state of unrivaled panic once again.

But as expected, Sonic kept a level-head and merely smirked whenever Sally brought up the time left on the count-down. He'd laugh, shake his head, and raise an eyebrow as he spoke. "Challenge accepted, Sal." And with that, he'd speed up once again, making Sally screech and shout as Sonic laughed. How was it that she still managed to freak out whenever he did that? And to think she had traveled with him for their entire journey.

The past few days in particular had been somewhat difficult in their traveling, for leaving the mountains had proven to be harder than expected. Another storm had struck them after they begun their descent, and thanks to it, they had spent many long hours in caves—both natural and make-shift—waiting for the storm to calm enough for them to continue. It often left Sonic pacing the length of the cave, impatient as always, going off on a rant on how the storm was driving him mad. He had so much energy bundled up inside him and there was so little time to finish everything. Why did the blizzard have to strike when he needed it the least? Couldn't it have waited just a little bit longer to go wild?

Though it took much longer than expected, the duo finally reached the warmth of the valleys, and as to be expected, the first thing the two wanted to do was bask in the sun's rays. When given their current circumstances, who could have blamed them? After spending an entire week and a day in the mountains and cold air, there was nothing that either of them wanted more than to simply sit in the sun and let its heat soak them to the bone.

If there had been no time limit to saving the world hovering over their heads, the two would have most likely spent the entire day just lying on the grass. Since there was next to no time remaining on the countdown, the two simply continued on with their journey, speeding onward to the next—and final—temple.

After leaving the mountain range completely, it had taken an entire day to run the majority of the distance from the mountains to the temple. By the time they stopped, they ended up only a few miles away from the temple. They spent one night resting and a few minutes on breakfast before heading out once again, ready for whatever challenges would be there to face them.

"Hey Sal," Sonic spoke shortly after landing a quick jump, throwing Sally from her deep thoughts once again. "How much longer?"

Shaking her head as if to remember where she was, Sally took Nicole from her pocket, furrowing her brow in the process. "Less than a minute at this rate, so long as you don't fall into a river or something."

Sonic simply raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

Sally merely smirked. "You do realize that a river has water in it, right?"

"But is that a challenge?"

"Might I remind you," Sally started, poking him in the chest as she spoke, "That it's you—not me—that can't swim?"

The hedgehog opened his mouth to speak, smiling as if he knew better than her before quickly closing it and narrowing his eyes. "Point taken, princess."

Shaking her head, Sally stayed silent as she looked forward yet again. Finally after what felt like forever, the last temple was in sight. It was located in a large grassy field, surrounded by rubble from broken structures that could have once surrounded the place, and like many of the others, it looked very old. Unlike the others, however, it seemed to—how was the way to put it? Shine? Sparkle? It was a very pretty building, despite its age. And similarly to the previous temple, it looked to be in exceptional condition, like someone was still taking care of it. Maybe the spirit it had been built for perhaps? Or possibly a creature that inhabited it instead.

Whatever it was, it was obvious that Sonic was ready to face it. Even when his smile wasn't in its full-fledged toothy form, it was enough to put the sun to shame. He was beyond excited for the chance to challenge himself, and anyone—even someone who had never even heard of him—could have been able to tell that he was ecstatic to enter the building.

It took about half a minute for the two to reach the front steps of the temple. Once there, Sonic gently put Sally on the ground, smiling up at the structure as Sally glanced once again at Nicole's screen.

"It's not as long as some of them, but it sure is big. And tall. Not to mention tall…" Sally whispered as she stared up at the structure. The building, to be completely honest, was beautiful when the princess really looked at it. Compared to all the rubble that surrounded it, the temple before them was in absolutely marvelous condition.

"Yeah," Sonic said, smiling as he looked up at it, glanced at Sal, and returned his attention to the temple once again. "Maybe there will be a lot of climbing involved?"

Sally simply smirked at that. "My specialty."

Sonic smiled along with her. "You'll just have to wait for me when you get ahead, alright?" Sonic froze in his spot, shivering in a half-joking, half-serious way. "Ugh. That was kind of terrible and totally disgusting to say. Don't _ever_ quote me on that, Sal."

Taking a moment to look back at him, Sally smiled. "I wonder what everyone would think if I told them that you said that to me."

"Is _that_ a challenge?" The hedgehog asked, raising an eyebrow in the process.

"You'll just have to see, Sonic." Sally told him, nearly laughing.

"Then challenge accepted."

Sally simply smirked and rolled her eyes.

It didn't take long for the two to reach the white double doors and stare up at the seventh and final rhyme that sat upon them. And as if on cue, when their eyes met the words, both Sonic and Sally read them aloud. "In this light lies something safe, in the dark, something you hate."

Freezing in their spots, the two both looked at each other, exchanging an odd look before smirking again and turning back to the door. "What do you think it means?"

Sonic shrugged as he placed his hands on the doors. "Don't know. I never do, and I probably never will." He told her as he threw his weight forward, sending the doors flying back into the walls with a loud bang. "And to be completely honest, I'm not sure why you keep asking me about their meaning. I don't have all the answers, Sal."

Shrugging, Sally sighed. "Sorry, I just assumed that you knew everything."

"Well I do, just not every day, Sal." Sally simply rolled her eyes as the two walked in, pausing mid-roll to let her eyes wash over the interior of the temple.

Though the outside of the temple by itself had been beautiful, it was the inside that left both the hero and the princess speechless. The superior craftsmanship on the walls, in the inner makings of the temple was flawless. Beautiful carvings, that the two could only assume had been created to make up for the lack of paintings, were strewn out across all the walls depicting scenes of contentment and success as well as the oh-so sad portrayals of war and heartache.

The walls were only the beginning of the structure's decorations. Above the wall's carvings hung countless chandeliers, each adorned with tiny crystals and jewels that glittered ever so slightly when the sun from the surrounding windows brushed its fingers against them. And above those on the ceiling were flawlessly painted scenes of peace and prosperity, of love and happiness, of selflessness and kindness, and so many other things that—though so far off in a world of war and fear—kindled a small hope for something better. Something sweeter.

To put it in the simplest of terms, the sight was beautiful.

A low whistle from Sonic made both and Sonic and Sally snap out of their dazes and return to reality, their gazes quickly turning towards one another. "Wow. Whoever did this put a lot of effort into it."

Sally simply nodded, a light smile on her face as she let her eyes take in everything again before replying. "Yeah. It's… it's really pretty."

Sonic returned the smiled, nodding in agreement. "I'll say." He looked up at the ceilings, spending an entire moment to examine the paintings before continuing. "I just hope that whatever is in here isn't going to waste the place. It'd be a shame to see something so nice go to waste."

"Yeah," Sally said once before taking in a deep breath and sighing. "It would be a shame." And for a moment, silence hung in-between them. Though it wasn't awkward or strange, it was enough to make them shift in their places and finally make Sally speak. "Let's get going."

The hedgehog smiled at her in approval, and with that, the two began to walk further into the final temple.

After several long moments of awed silence that had taken over, Sally finally spoke once more. "You know, I can't really imagine any monster being in here. It's kind of a funny thing to say, but it feels too peaceful for any monster to get in. You know?"

Sonic hummed, "Yeah, I do. But to be honest, I feel as if something's not quite right here." The hedgehog shared, his eyes racing over every detail of gigantic front room. "It's like there's an old enemy lurking in the shadows."

Sally raised her eyebrows, glancing over to where Sonic was looking. There was a notable distinction between the spots where the sun ruled and where the shadows dwelt, but as far as she could tell, there was no real difference between the two places. And there sure as heck weren't any enemies "lurking" in the shadows.

"Well, I don't see anything." Sally confirmed to herself as the two stepped from the warmth of the sun's rays into the coolness of the shade. "And to be honest, I don't feel different either. In fact, I feel just fine!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms out for dramatic effect and turning to look at Sonic at the same time. "You know?"

The moment Sally's gaze met Sonic, she immediately relaxed her position and pulled her arms back by her side. An immeasurable amount of worry took over her the moment she looked at his face.

"This—can't be. It's been—what?"

An expression of shock and utter disbelief had swallowed Sonic whole as he stood there doing his best to comprehend exactly what was going on at the moment. Sally was a bit more lost than he was. His fists clenched tightly, and to Sally's complete and utter shock, Sonic was shaking. Not from fear, though, but from something else. Something that Sally couldn't explain. Something that she either couldn't see, or in the worst case scenario, something she couldn't sense. Something that had gone drastically wrong.

For what felt like a long time, Sally simply stood there, not knowing what to do. Was she supposed to say something? Maybe do something? Sally took in a deep breath before she spoke. "Sonic, are you—?"

"I'm fine." Sonic said, taking in a deep heavily labored breath. "I just need a moment to contain myself, that's all. Feel free to go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Sally shook her head and spoke, despite the confusion from Sonic's words. "Sonic, you don't look so good. What's the problem? Can I do anything to help?"

"I'd be more than happy to accept any help that I could get," Sonic told her as he gritted his teeth together, clamping his eyes shut in the process, "But right now, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to help, cause I'm pretty sure that you can't do anything about me having to stop myself." The hedgehog paused, shrugging casually before he spoke again.

"Well, you _could_ back away. That would actually be pretty helpful right now. The last thing I need is for you to be mauled to death by me of all people." By that point, Sonic was shaking so badly and struggling so much to get a single word out that it seemed as if he was ready to collapse.

What on Mobius was going on? Why did everything always have to be so darn confusing? Reaching her hand out to touch him, Sally spoke softly, "Sonic, I'm not going to—"

But to her surprise, the hedgehog's hand suddenly wrapped around hers, clenching it so tightly that for a moment she thought he was going to break her bones.

"I said," Sonic growled, his voice raspy and unusually low as he opened his eyes and glared at her, "Back away."

Terror having finally taken her hostage, Sally was barely able to get a single word out. "Sonic, your eyes, they're—"

Sonic let out a single chuckle, shaking his head. "I know, Sal. I know. They're _yellow._ And right now, there's not a thing I can do about it. Kind of fun though, huh? Makes for a good challenge."

To Sally's horror, she watched as Sonic smiled an unusually sharp-toothed grin.

A scream—loud and piercing and terrifying all at the same time—burst from Sonic's throat, causing his sudden grip on Sally to release. She fell back from the alarm of the cry, and without anything to steady her, she lost her balance and landed flat on her back. The simple action knocked the breath out of her, but it didn't keep her from sitting up to see what was happening.

What she saw nearly left her breathless, even with everything else that she had seen on their journey so far. Before her, Sonic was changing, transforming, morphing, shifting, whatever word she could come up with, into something totally different.

Within mere seconds, his fur had grown out into long blue tangles, his arms had bulged with muscles even more defined than before, and long, pointed claws had protruded from his hands, which were now gloveless. The adventurous gaze that he usually harbored suddenly became sharp and dangerous, and his teeth rearranged themselves into a row of jagged pearly whites. All at once, the hedgehog lost whatever level-headedness he had been able to cling to, and reverted to an undeniably animalistic nature. A very wild and animalistic nature.

It seemed like an eternity and a half had passed before the changes stopped, leaving Sonic frozen in his spot as he took in series of deep breathes. He was still shaking, and after a few more seconds of standing there, the young man fell to his hands and knees, taking in more oxygen in an desperate attempt to come back to regain any control that he could.

Sally, who was still on the floor, was also breathing heavily as she sat and stared at the hedgehog—or whatever it was that he had turned into. What exactly had just happened? _How _had it happened? What on Mobius was going on? Taking a moment to steady herself—both physically and mentally—Sally stood up, swallowing once before she spoke and reached her hand out to him cautiously.

"S…Sonic? Are you alright?"

It was within the blink of an eye that the hero looked up at her, staring at her with wide, unbelieving eyes. For a moment, it appeared as if his humanity, that thing that gave him reasoning, was still alive and kicking, and when he opened his mouth, it seemed as if he was going to say her name. Then, suddenly, Sonic snarled, and Sally's heart dropped.

After a few breathless moments she opened her mouth to say his name again, but before she could utter a second syllable, the hedgehog growled again. Slowly, he began making his way towards her.

"Sonic, what on Mobius are you doing?" Sally asked as she backed away from him, glancing behind her every once in a while in the hope of finding some way to escape from the suddenly dangerous hedgehog.

He didn't reply to her question. Instead, the hedgehog snarled again, crouching back in his place as Sally's eyes grew wider.

"Sonic! What are you doing?" She cried out, "You're not—agh!"

Without a single warning, Sonic flung himself at her, claws outstretched and teeth bared at her. It was only her own instincts that had saved her from the attack with a quick dodge to the left, but even with that, Sonic's claws still managed to graze her right arm. And boy, did it sting.

Biting back on another cry, Sally growled and grabbed onto her arm. "What is wrong with you?" She exclaimed as she turned to face him again, narrowing her eyes the moment her gaze met his. "Can't you fight this off? You can do it to everything else, but not this of all things?"

The answer to her question was another snarl. Sally quickly shook her head. "I'm not doing that again." And with that, Sally turned and ran.

She could hear the pats of Sonic's hands and feet—or paws, if that was the way to put it—hit the ground in their steady rhythm right behind her as she dashed onwards. Why wasn't he running at his regular speed? It was both relieving and unnerving that he hadn't caught her yet. Had he reverted so much to that purely animalistic state that he couldn't even run properly? Was his mind seriously that degraded?

Swallowing, Sally gritted her teeth together as she shook her head. At the moment, spending any time or energy on anything but the task at hand was _not _a good idea. She needed to focus on getting away, and fast. The very last thing she needed or wanted for that matter was to be mauled to death by Sonic the Hedgehog.

Caught in-between her own thoughts and her ferocious brainstorming, Sally failed to recognize that she had ran back into the warmth of the sun. Her mind had twisted itself into so many knots that she also failed to realize that shortly after she had returned to its warmth, Sonic had also dashed into it. She was lucky enough to hear the sudden cry of hedgehog though. Recognizing its tone instantly, Sally turned to Sonic once again.

To her surprise, she found that Sonic had returned to his usual sleek and slim self. He was panting on his hands and knees, and his eyes were wide in shock. He appeared to be in much better condition than he had been as, well, whatever he had been just moments ago, but it was apparent that fighting it off—though unsuccessful—had been exhausting.

She took in a sharp breath when he looked up at her, and without another word, she ran towards him. Within moments she was by his side, wrapping her arms around his neck as he did his best to regain proper breath.

"Sonic, what on Mobius just happened? You scared me to death!" She cried out, taking a moment to hold him there before backing away and looking at him in the eye. "Are you alright?"

For a moment, the hedgehog didn't respond. He took a few seconds to search the room with his eyes and file through the thoughts in his mind before looking at her and nodding. "Yeah, I think so. I just… need a moment to pull myself together." Sally nodded in response. "Can you help me up?"

The princess reacted instantly, carefully helping the hedgehog up onto his feet as he took in a few last heavy breathes. "So what exactly happened right there?" Sally eventually asked, keeping her arm around Sonic's shoulder for a moment, waiting to make sure that he had enough energy to stand on his own. "You suddenly turned into this monster and attacked me."

Sonic nodded, gently pushing her arm off his shoulder. "Yeah, I know. I turned into the werehog."

Sally knitted her brow together. "Werehog? That's not—"

"Normal? No, it's not, but it isn't my first time turning."

Sally folded her arms. "You've turned into the werehog before?"

Sonic nodded as he glanced around, "Yeah. In fact, I used to turn into it every night for a few weeks. You know, back when that monster tore the planet apart?"

"You say that like it's no big deal…" She said without thinking in a far-off tone.

He shrugged, "It's not the first disaster I've dealt with." And then, Sonic sighed and shook his head. "Like I was saying. It's not the first time I've turned into the werehog. I've done it before, but this time, I didn't have any control over I what I was doing. I've always been in perfect control as the werehog, but just barely… I nearly got you. In fact—" Sonic suddenly grabbed Sally's arm, pulling it up so he could see the cuts in her arms. "I did get you. I grazed you."

Sally bit her lip, glancing off to the side as he began to utter a chaos incantation. "It doesn't hurt too much…"

She cringed and nearly squealed as the muscles and skin pulled themselves together, and Sonic raised an eyebrow in response. "Obviously, it did."

As soon as the cuts had healed, Sally shrugged. "Well I'm okay now, right?" Sonic nodded, but he remained silent as he folded his arms. Not knowing whether she should have waited for him to speak or waited for him to move, Sally took another opportunity to talk. "So if I'm right, you turned into the werehog when we moved in the shadows, right?" He nodded again, "Did you happen to remember what you were doing as the werehog?" Another nod. "And you can't control it?" And another. "Then let's keep you out of the shadows and keep going."

For a moment, all Sonic did in reply was stare at her. Then after a few moments of silence, Sonic sighed and shook his head. "Sal, there are shadows everywhere in this temple. There's no way I can get through without going through them."

"Yeah, so?" Sally asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Sonic huffed, "I'll turn into the Werehog no matter what."

"I repeat. So?"

The second time around, Sonic growled. "I could hurt you again, _Sal_."

Folding her arms to mirror his action, Sal scowled at him. "I don't care, _Sonic_. I don't want to go through an entire temple by myself again."

"And I don't want you to get hurt because of me." Sonic shot back.

Sally raised her eyebrows. "So it's okay if I get hurt by someone or something else?"

Sonic nearly hissed at her. "Sal, you know that that's not what I meant."

Ignoring his comment, Sally gritted her teeth together. "I'm not going by myself, end of story."

"And I'm not going if it means that you'll get hurt, _end of story_."

And with that, the room fell silent, if only for a moment.

"Sonic, if you can't avoid the shadows, how do you plan on getting out of here?"

Sighing, Sonic glanced off to the side. "I'll chaos control out. I don't think there are any spirits near, so my chaos powers shouldn't have any disturbance right now."

"So you'd just end up waiting for me outside?" Sally asked.

The hedgehog nodded as he turned away from her, taking out one of the chaos emeralds in the process. "There really isn't any other option. If there was, I'd take it."

As Sonic turned away, ready to whisper the chaos incantation, Sally shook her head, swallowing once in the process. "There's always another option, Sonic."

Sonic's ears perked at the sound of her voice, but even hearing those words did nothing for him when it came to preparing himself for what suddenly happened next. Before he could even blink, he felt a great force slam into him, hurling him violently into the shadows and knocking the breath from his lungs at the same time. He landed hard on his hands and knees, his head wiping back towards Sally just in time for him to cry out angrily, "Sal!" before the shadow's power grasped him yet again.

Vicious growls and angry snarls escaped from his lips as Sally tore Nicole out of her pocket. Frantically, she studied the map, given that his transformation was most likely going to be the only chance she'd have to study the temple's layout. Her eyes flew across it at the speed of sound, taking in every detail and forming a path for her to reach the emerald in time. A lot of climbing was involved in this temple, for most of the inner structure had been torn apart after time… the thought, to be honest, was a bit reassuring. Even Sonic couldn't climb as fast as she could.

Of course, that was when Sonic was in his natural hedgehog form. The werehog form that he was transforming into was completely alien to her, and as such, she had no idea what his capabilities were. Though she had already learned that the form traded speed for an immense increase in strength, anything else skill related when it came to the werehog was a mystery.

Well, a mystery for the next three seconds, anyway. Swallowing, Sally looked down at Sonic, shoving the tiny computer into her pocket as she began to back away from him. Even if he wasn't nearly as fast in the werehog form, she didn't want to risk being caught. As soon as she knew that he was watching, she was going to book it.

That moment came much sooner than expected.

The very second that Sonic looked up, teeth bared (as some of his anger from her actions had carried over from his regular state), Sally turned and ran, her heart racing. She dashed for the wall as fast as she could, nearly tripping when she heard Sonic let an angry cry. It took all of her willpower to keep herself from turning, and it took all of her energy to run as fast as she was moving.

Within moments, she found herself at the wall, searching for a place to begin her ascent. She examined the old stone for only a fraction of a second, and the moment she found something large and stable enough to grab onto, she shot up the wall. And to her luck, Sally found that she wasn't missing a beat. Every time she threw an arm over her head, she found another place to grab, and within a matter of seconds, she had scaled the wall and climbed onto the ledge above it.

She spent a few moments steadying herself once she was on solid ground. Knowing Sonic, even when he was in such a monstrous form, he wasn't going to let himself stay far behind for long. Sally couldn't risk gaining too much of a lead. Losing him would only result in her having to back-track and risk getting pounced on, or worse. So with that thought in mind, Sally looked over the edge of the balcony, hoping that no matter how far away he was, it was a safe enough distance that she could continue her frantic run through the temple.

Rather than that, however, she let out a loud scream upon finding herself face to face with him. He had kept up with her, and goodness had he done a good job at it. The moment the sound left her throat, the werehog snarled and threw up one paw, ready to strike her without a hint of mercy. Sally only barely managed to tumble out of the way and run off in the opposite direction, her heart-beat racing and her eyes wide open as he ran after her. Okay, so werehog Sonic was just as good at climbing as she was. If she was smart about it, she could still out-run him and beat him to the goal, right?

Right?

At that moment, Sally honestly didn't know. All that was certain was that she couldn't stop, if even for a moment. She had to keep going, she had to at least try. If she didn't it was going to be all over for the both of them, and that was a fact.

Swallowing and nodding, Sally steadied herself as she continued forward and looked ahead. If she remembered right, she needed to head down the hall until she came across the place where it divided into three directions, five including the two areas that were no longer accessible because of the fallen staircases. From there, she would have to climb up to the fallen entry-way of her choosing (for either way would take her to her destination) and run along that hall until it began to circle around the courtyard.

And sure enough, after a few moments of running, the split in the hallway came into sight. Upon spotting it, Sally sped up taking in several deep breaths as she listened behind her. The steady rhythm of Sonic's running was slightly softer, so it was safe to assume that he had fallen behind when he had climbed onto the balcony. Though there was no way that it could have been a great distance, it did in fact comfort Sally.

Once she reached the fork in the hallway, she dashed towards the wall on the left. A single moment was spent analyzing the structure, and it was just enough time so she could find the easiest way to climb up. With one strong bound, Sally flew off one of the larger pieces of rubble she had scaled, grabbing onto one of the ledges jutting out from the wall upon reaching it. She pulled herself up, glancing ahead before throwing herself onto the narrow remains of the staircase. There was just enough of the structure left for her to scale it without having to climb the rest of the way.

She reached the next ledge within seconds, and with that, she continued down the second hallway, doing her best to move as quickly as possible. Before long, the hall merged with the corridor from the right, and just up ahead of that, the courtyard was visible. For some reason that Sally couldn't fathom, though, there was no sunlight being emitted from it. What on Mobius was going on? The courtyard had no ceiling! The place was supposed to be as bright as could be!

Sally quickly shook off the thought. After everything she had seen on their journey, how was she still questioning things? For crying out loud, she had seen the impossible on a daily basis! A space-ship that was bigger than the moon, several of the spirits of Mobius, Sonic turning into a werehog of all things—

The moment that Sonic crossed her mind, she couldn't help herself from turning back and glancing at him. She was still had a fifty foot lead on him, but to Sally's shock, it was quickly shrinking. Her stamina was failing her.

Sally gritted her teeth together, frustration over-taking her as she turned back. Of course! While Sonic was still slow, his endurance was still present. He could for hours without ever—

The moment Sally's attention had turned forward once again, she found herself over-looking the very edge of the balcony the led to the courtyard. She had just enough control to stop herself in time, but the sound of Sonic's growling (which had grown much closer in an incredibly short amount of time) caused her to go into panic mode and throw herself off the balcony.

This, as to be expected, proved to be a very bad idea. Her lack of planning and short amount of time to position herself resulted in a hard landing on the side of her left foot, which caused a loud cry of pain to escape from her lips as she collapsed to the ground. Holy crap, that had seriously _hurt. _She had either seriously sprained it, or even worse, broken it. Either way, she was not in a good position.

Despite the pain, Sally pulled herself onto her foot, once as her eyes welled with tears. Oh dear. The rest of the way through the temple was going to kill.

It took a moment for her to get back into the groove of running, and by the time she had, Sonic had landed in the courtyard and continued his chase after her. He was only twenty feet behind her at that point, and the ferocity that he had been displaying during their run had only increased. The werehog was intent on catching his prey, no matter what the cost.

But the prey was not going to let that happen. No way, no how.

As she ran, wincing with every other step, Sally ran through the rest of the map in her head. She simply had to make it through the doors before her which were totally obliterated and wide open, dash across what she assumed to be the ballroom floor, through the final hallway, and then she'd be there. The emerald would be in her possession and Sonic would revert to his regular hedgehog form. It was just a little bit more.

Sally nodded to herself reassuringly, swallowing and biting back the pain as she sped up just a bit. _You can do it, Sally-girl. You've been through worse—this is no problem. _

The last bit of the run was a blur, for Sally began to focus purely on putting one foot of the other. She blocked out everything else—the lack of sunlight, the raging werehog behind her, the pain that flared every time she took a step with her left leg—and simply ran. She imagined for a moment that she was like Sonic, like running was everything to her. Like she was the wind. Like she was the very embodiment of freedom itself…

She returned to reality in the nick of time. When she snapped back to it, she saw the doorway and the final room before her—a throne room, to her surprise—bathed in light. Sunlight. Her heart leapt from the pure excitement. Finally!

The joy and utter anticipation of returning to the sunbeams robbed her of her common sense, though, and it caused her to quite literally leap into the rays of light itself. She landed on her left foot again, letting out a loud cry of pain as she crumpled to the ground. Gosh, did she ever think about stuff like that? She was becoming way too much like Sonic; she never thought ahead of time anymore.

Seconds after Sally had fallen to the stone floor, Sonic burst in through the giant doorway and into the light. He let out a roar that caught in his throat mid-howl, and before he realized what had caused it, he began to revert to his true form. By the time he had both feet on the ground, he was capable of reasoning and intelligent thought (however intelligent that was).

As Sally swallowed and looked up at him, Sonic wiped his head toward her, his eyes wide when his gaze met hers. "Sal!" He exclaimed.

Exhausted, Sally yelled back in a sarcastic tone. "_Sonic!_"

The hedgehog narrowed his eyes at her, gritting his teeth in the process. Obviously he was not pleased with her little push, much less with the sarcasm she had just displayed. But hey, he was the one who had taught it to her!

Despite the glare he had sent her, Sonic was by Sally's side within seconds, examining the injured ankle with a still very annoyed expression. "Sal, what on Mobius were you thinking? I could have mauled you to death."

Shrugging, Sally shook her head. "But you didn't."

"I could have, though." Sonic growled, furrowing his brow as he pulled out one of the emeralds, "And I nearly did. Sal, what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't."

Sonic's gaze become angrier and he shot back, "Well you should have!"

Sally flinched back away from the angry hero, her eyes wide as she stared at him. For a moment she stayed still, but after a few seconds of Sonic glaring at her, the irony of the situation struck her. Here was Sonic the Hedgehog, the king of not thinking before he jumped head-first into a crazy situation, chewing her out about not thinking. He was actually lecturing her.

She was unable to control her laughter. And as to be expected, Sonic appeared to be both a bit offended and confused by her giggles.

"What—?"

"Sonic," Sally said, smiling as he stared at her, "You're chewing me out for being spontaneous. You. Me. Chewing me out. Ironic, much?"

It took a few moments for the words to sink in. "Oh gosh," But once it did, it was obvious with how horrifying the thought was to Sonic. "I'm turning into you."

Sally laughed again at the hedgehog, who quickly shook off the thought so he could properly heal Sally's ankle, even though Sally still gave him heck about it. It took a few moments to med. Once it was back to normal, Sally jumped to her feet. Her eyes began to wash over the room as Sonic put an arm around her, partially because he was feeling protective, and partially because he didn't want her out of his sight.

The room was gigantic, white like the rest of the castle, and nearly unrecognizable as a throne room, save for the two chairs that sat proudly at the head of the room. Most of the space was covered in rubble from the lack of ceiling and walls, from which the light of mid-day poured in. There were a few splashes of color here and there where remains of ancient tapestries and carpets lay, but other than that, the room was bare.

"It's really pretty…" Sally whispered, "But where's the chaos emerald?"

Knitting his brow together, Sonic spoke in a low voice. "I was wondering the same thing." He said, becoming silent for a moment. "Of course," Sonic turned towards the twin thrones again. "I don't know why we're expecting it to be so easy to get the emerald. Who are you?"

Though confusion first plagued Sally, surprise filled her when her eyes met the white figure in the chair. "I'm impressed with you two. You made it through the temple without any trouble! Other than that ankle, though. But that was just a minor mishap, yes?"

The man before them was a hedgehog, identical to Sonic in almost every way. He had a lean build with enough muscle to impress (a runner's build, no doubt), long spikes that curved downward, a confident smirk that could have verily easily been stolen from Sonic himself, a fluff of white chest fur—almost as if he were Sonic's albino twin, save for his coloring and his eyes. His crimson colored eyes… they were old eyes. Ancient and tired eyes. Eyes that had seen so much…

Other than his tennis shoes and fancy gloves, the hedgehog wore nothing, once again similarly to Sonic. No armor, no fancy clothes… it seemed strange. The aura about him was so regal, it felt as if there should have been a crown sitting on his head.

Regal or not, if the man had the emerald, they had to retrieve it. "I repeat; who are you?" Sonic asked, his voice a bit more demanding the second time around.

The man merely smiled. "Someone."

Sonic narrowed his eyes, "Alright, fine. I'll ask you something else. Do you have the emerald?"

For a moment, the man simply stared at them with a smile and a raised eyebrow. Then, ever so slowly, he lifted his arm. "You mean this?" A light flashed, and suddenly, the yellow emerald was sitting in the palm of his hand.

Their eyes grew wide at the sight of the jewel, and the man simply smiled.

"I see then. Well," he started, standing up out of the throne. "I'll introduce myself. I'm Meku, and that's all you need to know. Your names are…?"

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "Sonic."

"Sally." Sally told him warily.

Meku smiled again, an amused expression on his face. "Well then, Sonic, Sally," he said and snapped his fingers, making yet another flash of light go off. "Let's begin."

A sword pointing at Sonic and Sally appeared in Meku's hand the instant the light relaxed. Once their gazes reached it, Sonic and Sally changed to fighting positions.

"The rules are simple. If you beat me, I will give you the emerald. If not… well, I'm sure we can guess what will happen, correct?" He told them, a smile on his face.

Sonic huffed, "Sounds good to me."

Meku nodded, "Perfect. But before we start," he said, bringing up his other hand, "Let's even the odds. Shall we?"

Sonic and Sally furrowed their brows, but before they could say anything, Meku snapped his fingers and the room went dark.

* * *

><p>Wait, what is this? Is this an update? Whoa! It's been way too long! :O But I promise, there is no way that the next chapter will take so long.<p>

And it ends in a cliff hanger. :) I simply love cliff hangers. Hm... I wonder what will happen?

Thanks so much to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story from the last time that I updated! I'm sorry I haven't replied to the reviews, but they really do mean a lot to me. Thank you guys so much! :D

Until next time!


	27. Beauty, Beast, Random Guy with a Sword

**Chapter 27: Beauty, Beast, Random Guy with a Sword**

Silence fell with the sudden darkness that took over, and Sally's heart skipped a thousand and one beats when it did. No, not the darkness. Not the werehog again. Of all things, did Meku have to "even the odds" by summoning the werehog? Swallowing, Sally whipped her head towards Sonic, even though she could only see a brief outline of him. How was she going to beat the white hedgehog without Sonic's help?

As her eyes began to adjust to lack of light, she could hear Sonic growl and grunt in an attempt to hold back the transformation. The shadows that had descended upon them were far too dark to even try, though, and as the seconds passed, his voice became deeper and huskier. There hadn't even been a chance for him to speak or cry out before it had started. Within seconds, the Hero of Mobius was going to be a mindless beast again.

Sally backed up the moment the thought hit her, but before her foot could hit the ground, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. What was—?

The dots suddenly connected in her mind, and instinct took over. Before she could even think properly, Sally suddenly bounded off to the left, avoiding the large horizontal swing of Meku's sword and making the breath leave her lungs at the same time.

She landed hard on her feet, her heart racing as she let out a gasp and turned to face Meku. Holy cow, he was _fast_. And not to mention kinda scary looking.

The expression that was sitting on his face, though not one of rage, was a scowl that lacked any hint of mercy. He was a warrior, and one who was ready to cut through whatever got in his way, no matter what. Even if that meant taking out the Hero of Mobius and the princess of the Kingdom of Acorn.

Sally swallowed, backing up as she fixed her eyes upon the white form that was Meku. The question was racing through her mind again: how was she going to beat him without Sonic's help? The man had moved so fast that she had barely been able to avoid a run in with his sword. And heck, she wasn't even armed! What could she have—?

The roar of an enraged werehog made Sally's heart skip another beat and her eyes widen in fear. Correction to her question from earlier: how was going to beat Meku when Sonic was attacking every moving thing as the werehog?

Slowly, Sally turned to Sonic, her eyes having become accustomed enough to the dark that she could at least see his shadowed form. In-between the shadows, she could hear the snarls escaping past his lips as he made his way towards her on all four, like he was hunting a wounded animal that had no chance of escape.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Sally swallowed, her heartbeat speeding up as she looked around. So she was going to have both Meku and Sonic on her tail. Lovely. If only she had some sort of a—

Sally was suddenly reminded in the worst of all possible ways that when fighting alone, she simply couldn't just stand there and think like she usually did. Before even instinct could catch on to what was happening, Meku had reached her. By the time she had realized such, though, his sword was already in mid-strike. There was time to move off to the side to avoid the worst of it, but not enough to evade the strike altogether.

When the blade connected with Sally's left shoulder, a firework of stars and fresh blackness exploded across her eyes, which snapped shut a second later. Her heartbeat shot off even faster, and she nearly screamed, though the tiny bit of reasoning she still held kept her from doing so, but by only so little. The pain that was searing throughout her shoulder seemed to spread to her whole body, and for a moment, it was all she could think about as she nearly crumpled to the ground. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt, darn it!

She wanted to stay glued to her spot for a moment, let the worst of the pain fade away as she fell to her knees, but the same voice screaming in her head advised her to do otherwise. Forcing her eyes open, Sally looked up at Meku, his blade raised in an attempt to strike her yet again. Yes, it was time to move.

She didn't even make her escape graceful. Without taking a moment to even think about it, Sally dashed off in the opposite direction, her right arm nearly flailing as she did so. There was no time to think and plan anymore, she just had to go!

From the corner of her eye, Sally spotted a flash of a white blur. Her gaze spent less than a second off to the left in an attempt to discover its source, but her effort was in vain. When her eyes turned forwards again, she was shocked to see the white hedgehog in front of her, his blade readied yet again.

A cry was ready at Sally's lips, and just as she was ready to let it pass her lips, a mass of dark fur shot past her. It was slower than Meku, granted, but within the darkness, it had nearly passed unseen. The moving form had registered in her mind only after it had passed the corner of her eye and let out an earth-shattering roar as it collided with the white hedgehog.

She gasped and backed away as quickly as she could, her eyes fixing upon her hero as Meku fought to escape his grasp, shock gluing her to her spot. Though Sonic was clawing and ripping at Meku in any way possible, holding him back as Sally stood there, the werehog's eyes were on her. And somehow, they held no rage.

The moment Sally's eyes found his, her heart skipped a beat. His eyes, though yellow and shining through the dark, were so completely and totally Sonic that she could barely believe it. Somehow, some tiny piece of the hedgehog had taken control. It wasn't very strong and it wasn't going to last long either, but it was enough for Sally to see that look that he gave to her so often. It was that one glance that made everything better and reminded her that everything was going to be okay; the one gaze that she always looked forward to.

_You can do it. _

And it was enough for her.

All at once, the gears in Sally's head began to turn, and her heartbeat took off. Images and ideas ran through her mind at the very speed that Sonic moved, and without another thought, Sally took Nicole out of her pocket. She furiously punched in a series of commands and codes, and with gritted teeth she whispered, "I hope this still works."

It took a moment for the computer to find enough energy in the room to begin the process, but once it had, it shot off at the speed of sound. Within the blink of an eye, Nicole's nanites had located Sally's shoulder and sealed the wound, causing her to wince and nearly cry out in pain. Dang it, she had forgotten how much that stung.

Beyond the pain that she was biting down on, Sally could barely hear the vicious sounds of the struggle directly in front of her. It was only when she heard a loud cry escape from the hero's throat that she finally chose to look away from Nicole's screen, and as soon as her eyes met him, she nearly yelped.

She dove off to the side without a second thought, barely avoiding the tumbling of the beast and his opponent, both of whom were letting out battle cries. When she landed on her feet and whipped her head back to watch the two, she was unsurprised to see that both claw and sword were flying as they struck each other. She was a bit stunned, though, when she really looked at the two—particularly, Sonic.

Though he was still ripping at his opponent without mercy, it was Sonic rather than Meku who was covered in scratches, gashes, and blood that was staining his fur. His pace hadn't slowed by the slightest, but Meku's skin and fur was as white as it had been when they had entered the room. How on Mobius was he doing that? She knew for a fact that Sonic had landed several hits on him, but the proof (or lack of) on Meku's body told her otherwise.

It didn't click in Sally's head until she actually saw it happen.

Sonic was swiping at Meku, his claws outstretched and a snarl at his lips. The white hedgehog was avoiding his hits, sometimes dodging, sometimes guarding, and sometimes swinging his sword in a wide arch in an attempt to return the favor. It was with a particularly fast stabbing motion that Meku missed his target and left himself wide open so that Sonic was able to slash his claws across his face, leaving a series of dark, red gashes across his face. A short sort of shriek escaped past his lips, but before it could escalate into anything stronger, the hedgehog spat out two very familiar words.

"Chaos regeneration!"

Sally's heart skipped a beat and she gasped as the words sunk in. Both shock and an undeniable feeling of, "That's not fair!" took her, and without another moment, Sally gritted her teeth. Evening the odds? How was anything even when he could heal himself and Sonic couldn't even control his own actions?

"Yeah right!" Sally exclaimed, dashing towards the white hedgehog as he took a step back from the enraged werehog. "I'll show you even!"

Though her words made Meku's ears perk up, the white hedgehog decided to ignore them. He shook them off as some sort of a cheer for her hero, but when Sally's arms suddenly wrapped around his neck, he quickly realized that that had been a mistake.

A surprised choking sound escaped his throat as he reached for her, trying his hardest to cease the tight grasp from his throat as the werehog snarled at both his pray and the girl who was attacking it. The sword dropped from the grasp of his fingers as he redirected their energy to pull at her arms, her clutch only tightening as a response. There was no way she was going to let him get away with pulling such a trick!

For what felt like forever and a half, Meku and Sally struggled against each others strength. Without the ability to properly see his opponent, the white hedgehog was quite literally in the dark about how to disarm her. Though he did his best, there was nothing he could do to cut off the iron will that was keeping Sally from releasing him.

And unfortunately for him, there was nothing to warn him of the werehog's attack either. The moment that Sonic's huge fist connected with Meku's chest, he was sent flying with Sally still attached. A short and loud, "Ugh!" was freed as his spell over the room died, rays of sunlight pouring into the room and flooding it instantly.

Less than a second later, the out-of-breath hedgehog hit the ground, landing on the princess who cried out as a result. "Get off!" She exclaimed, her grip finally giving up as she pushed Meku away.

The hedgehog gasped the moment she had released him, his lungs quickly filling with oxygen. He nearly collapsed on the ground as Sally jumped to her feet and backed away from him, but a quick and breathy chaos incantation freed his cheeks from the rosy-bluish color that had claimed them only moments earlier. Within the blink of an eye, he was back on his feet, his sword somehow within his grasp yet again and a smile on his face.

"I shouldn't have brushed you off, princess." He stated, his smile care free as he readied the blade in his hand. "No worries, though. It won't happen again!"

Sally opened her mouth to speak, to question him how he knew she was a princess, but she was once again reminded that the battle field was the last place for questions. The white hedgehog had charged at her, and unlike last time, there was no time to dodge the strike. He was going to hit her full force with the sword.

Her heart dropping, Sally shouted, "Crap, cr—!" and she clamped her eyes shut. Oh, it was just going to hurt, and she knew it for a fact!

But to Sally's shock, the sword never connected with her body, and the pain never flared. Instead of her own scream filling her ears, it was the grunts of two hedgehogs pushing against each others strength, struggling for the upper hand.

Wait, two hedgehogs? Sally opened her eyes, her heart nearly leaping when her vision settled on the smiling blue form of Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, a full fledged grin gracing her face as the hedgehog smiled.

"The one and only!" He replied through gritted teeth, laughing as if he was in pain.

Hold on, pain? Her eyes trailing along Sonic's body, Sally gasped when she saw that, indeed, Sonic had been pushing against Meku's sword, but with his forearm of all things. And though he was holding his own against the steel, he was sporting a deep red gash on it thanks to the sharpened blade.

Her eyes widening at the sight and the thought, Sally let out a shrill shriek. "Sonic! Your arm, it's—"

"Yeah I know, just give me a second, Sal!" He shouted, his smile forming into a toothy grin. "Just gotta," He took in a deep breath, "Get you out of the way," pushed Sally off to the side, "And get this guy off my back!" and shifted his weight to the side, causing the blade to slide off. The white hedgehog lost his balance as a result, and before he could even think of regaining it, Sonic had quite literally kicked him in the butt.

He was sent flying across the room and into the wall, and Sonic turned to Sally as if it had been no big deal. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes! Chaos regeneration!" He exclaimed, snapping his fingers at the same time.

And just like that, the skin and muscles on Sonic's arm began to pull themselves back together. It took less than a second for the process to finish, and once it had, Sonic pulled his arm up and flexed.

"What do you think, Sal? Good as new?"

She merely swallowed, half disturbed that his arm had been sliced up so bad, and half annoyed that he had been dumb enough to guard an attack with his arm of all things. "I'm tempted to punch you in the gut for that. But yes, it looks fine."

"Good!" Sonic smiled, returning his gaze to the hedgehog that had collapsed off in the corner. "Then let's finish this!"

Sally turned to Meku as well, her brows raising when he stood up. "Sounds good to me." He said, turning his head just right so a loud POP sounded. "But," He started, pulling his hand up in an attempt to snap. "I'm just going to—"

Though she didn't quite understand the value of something as little as a snap, Sally quickly witnessed that the action obviously did have significance. The moment the sound had started reverberating throughout the room, Sonic rushed at the white hedgehog, a smile gracing his face at the same time. "Tut, tut, Meku! We're not going to even the odds in _your_ favor! Sorry!"

The princess didn't quite understand at first, but when the room started going dark yet again, it suddenly made sense. Darkness had barely claimed the corners of the hall when Sonic punched him in the gut, causing the chaos incantation to die off before it had even been born and the sword from Meku's gasp to fall.

When it hit the ground and once Meku landed back on his feet, he smiled. "Fine then! We'll go full out instead!"

Sonic laughed, "Sounds like my kind of party!"

And with that, the battle escalated into a full out brawl. The blue blur was living up to his name, and the white hedgehog wasn't doing half bad when it came to keeping up. Each attack was a flash of color and light, a taunt or a laugh, and a confused look from Sally. She could barely keep up with Sonic as things were, so how did anyone expect her to follow a battle between two super—

"Heads up, Sal!"

Looking up at the sound of her boyfriend's voice, Sally's heart nearly shot off into a heart attack. There directly above her was Sonic, flying, smiling, and reaching out for her hand. And to her oh so pleasant surprise, he even grabbed it as well.

The force that he was moving at made her entire body whip violently in the same direction he was traveling in, making a scream escape from her lips at the same time. Did he really have to do that all the time? Sonic laughed at the sound of her squeal, and he called out, "Come on Sal!"

Sally's head tossed around in a furious attempt to adjust herself to the chaos, and to her pleasant surprise, she recovered her bearings just in time. Sonic was dashing past Meku, Meku was watching him, and somehow, instinct managed to take control of Sally for the second time that day. Without a second thought, Sally stretched her legs out and struck the hedgehog in the gut, sending him backwards with a squeal.

The princess smiled when he hit the ground, and Sonic released another hearty chuckle. "I knew you had it in you Sal! Let's go for another hit!"

Sally nodded, and with that, the hedgehog spun on a dime, back towards Meku. He had barely returned to his feet when Sonic had swung Sally forward so her feet crashed into his back, throwing him onto his knees with a shout.

"Alright! Now let's try something different! Chaos control!"

Though she only had a fraction of a second for the idea to wrap itself around her head, Sally was able to execute the attack Sonic had set up for her. A warp sent her off, spiraling in another direction as Sonic reached Meku and threw him up in the air with a powerful kick. The chaos control then threw her forward so Meku was within her range, close enough to strike again. So with a smile, Sally hit the man again, spinning as the two fell downwards to the ground.

Before they reached the ground, though, the white hedgehog had recovered his balance and spun around. His grasp was suddenly around Sally's wrist, and with a single move, the princess was set flying downwards towards the ground, much faster than she had been before.

A squeal of shock slipped past her lips, but as she had been hoping, her hero managed to catch her before she hit the ground. "Gotcha! That was too close!"

Sally nodded, "No kidding!" And the two looked back towards the white hedgehog.

He landed on the ground with a soft _tap_, a smile still gracing his lips all the while. "You two aren't bad. This is the most fun I've had in years."

"I'm glad!" Sonic replied, his voice carefree and cool as if he was talking to an old friend. "You're not half bad yourself!"

Meku nodded again, his smile morphing into a toothy, demonic grin. "Indeed. Not _half bad _at all."

The white hedgehog then flew at Sonic, so fast that the hero was unable to jump off to the side to avoid the attack. He yelped, "Eep!" and with a hardy throw, he sent Sally upwards to the ceiling.

She caught onto one of the broken pieces of stone just in time to hear the sound of Sonic crashing into the wall, Meku's attack still attached to his victim. The hero let out a heavy, pained grunt when his back connected with the stone, and just as he took in a breath to balance himself out, the white hedgehog gripped him by the chest fur and threw him across the floor.

Sally was able to adjust herself into a laying position on one of the hanging stones just in time to see Sonic skid across the ground. "Sonic!" She cried out, suddenly realizing that Sonic had thrown her out of the way for the sake of her safety. Meku's attacks had all been playful before, but they had exploded into a dangerously wicked type of "playful"—the kind that animals used when toying with their dying food.

The girl's cry did nothing for Sonic other than gift him with enough motivation to make him jump back onto his feet. Once he was there, he pulled his arms up in a defensive position. Instantly, the blue blur was flooded with an onslaught of punches and chaos attacks that he could only redirect or dodge, for there was barely enough time to attack without leaving himself wide open.

He attempted to do so, yes, but it only resulted in his opponent landing a powerful blow to the stomach, ribs, or face. There wasn't even enough time in-between Meku's attacks for Sonic to heal himself, for each time he attempted it, Meku would take his slight lack of concentration and use it to his advantage. The first time Sonic started the chaos incantation, Meku was able to slide his leg underneath Sonic and throw him to the ground. From there, Sonic barely avoided a strong kick, and he simultaneously decided that he'd be more careful when trying to heal.

But Meku never let up. Even though it was obvious that he was just as tired, bruised and banged up as Sonic was, he too avoided any opportunity to heal. His attacks were more heartless, and each one had the pure intention of striking Sonic down, rather than simply rendering him unable to fight.

Watching from above, Sally was speechless. How was Sonic going to gain the upper hand and finish off Meku's attacks? Though Sonic was able to beat his enemies, he was never ruthless enough to efficiently _end_ them. It wasn't in his nature. Or was it? The way that Sonic was attacking said one thing, but Sally's memories of his previous battles said otherwise.

She knew that he could be ruthless, but why hadn't Sonic started going full out? Was it that he didn't care when he himself got hurt, or was he too caught up in the thrill of the fight for him to finally end the clash? Or was his rage only justified when his friends and family were in danger, or even when madness took him like in the storm temple? Sally's heart skipped a beat when the various thoughts hit her, but her sudden revelation was cut short by sudden flash of light from below.

Full blown chaos attacks had suddenly been thrown into the mix, and within an instant, that wildness that she had seen in Sonic so many times before was back. He was returning Meku's strikes without mercy at every opportunity, and shrugging off the blows that he received as if they were nothing but mere scratches. A fire had ignited in his eyes, and it was then when Sally remembered that sometimes, Sonic simply needed a push in the right direction.

A heavy punch in the ribs followed by a sweeping of the leg threw Meku to the ground, and just as Sonic was about to continue the combo with another kick, the white hedgehog jumped up. He threw himself backwards onto his hands, suddenly moving in reverse with a series of flips and other moves that would have made a world class dancer jealous.

After several jumps, he landed light on his feet, throwing his hands out as he cried out, "Chaos spear!" sending countless yellow bolts towards the hero.

Sonic merely gritted his teeth, flying forwards and dashing off to the left, right, left, left again, until he was next to Meku again. Upon reaching him, though, the white hedgehog was able to kick him squarely in the chest, sending him backwards and onto his back. He leapt up unto his feet with a strong kick, tearing through the air faster than Sally could follow

The moment he was by Meku again, the two returned to their pattern of furious attacks, dodges, and guards. Sonic began throwing a series of punches at the white hedgehog, each attack being effortlessly redirected to the side before Sonic shouted, "Chaos ignite!"

Fire swallowed the hero's hands, and with a one strong swipe, Sonic sent a handful of fire onto Meku's body. The white hedgehog jumped back from as he gritted his teeth, bellowing another chaos incantation in the process, "Chaos extinguish!"

The flames that danced across his skin died instantly, leaving darkened, red skin on his forearms and a scowl on his face. Meku growled at the sight, gritting his teeth as Sonic flew at him, flailing his fire swallowed fists at his opponent in the process. Rather than dodge or redirect each attack, Meku began to leap backwards, watching intently as Sonic followed after him, each strike more wild than the last. He always waited for the opportune moment to bound away from Sonic, but for some reason, he never actually attacked back.

Though a few of Sonic's strikes managed to land on Meku, there weren't enough to stop him from moving far away enough from Sonic so he could charge at him. Once he started running, Sonic quickly followed suit, his hands blazing. With only a few feet of space in-between them, Sonic pulled up his arms, drawing them back, ready to punch Meku and—

"Rip apart!"

As soon as the words left Meku's throat, Sonic's eyes shot wide open. Without another thought, he jumped off to the side in an effort to avoid the all-too-familiar chaos attack. Though he was able to miss the bulk of it, he was unable to completely evade it.

For a single moment, Sonic went still. He hoped that somehow, _somehow_, the attack had missed him, totally passed him by, that maybe, Meku had missed altogether. He hoped and he hoped, but to no avail. All at once, the hedgehog cringed as the pain of the chaos energy ripped past him, tearing past his eyes by just enough that his whole world was suddenly set ablaze. He gritted his teeth, his entire form went rigid, and to Sally's shock, he let out a pained cry. No, a scream.

Sally's heart dropped at the sound.

The flames on Sonic's hands died the moment the attack whizzed past him, and the hero fell to the ground. He let out a short gasp when he hit it, and for some reason, Sally couldn't keep herself from crying out.

"SONIC!"

From the corner of her eye, Sally could see that Meku had also grown rigid and still, as if his own actions had shocked him. For a few moments he simply stood there as he stared at the young man, taking in a deep breath before he began to walk towards him.

He was silent as he moved, and it wasn't until he was by Sonic's side that he actually spoke. "Was that really all I needed to do to defeat you?"

His voice sounded disappointed like a parent after discovering their child had made a poor choice, and for some reason it made Sally furious. How dare the white hedgehog mock Sonic? And for using a dirty move much less? Gritting her teeth, Sally began to look around, for some sort of a path downwards. Oh, he was going to get it now! Even if she couldn't actually beat him, Sally wanted to at least punch him in the face. He deserved that much.

But before she could find the first place to grab onto in order to begin her descent, the sound of her hero's voice reached her ears. "Not even close."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of it, even though it was hoarse and utterly exhausted. Sometimes, Sonic honestly amazed Sally. Within the duration of a mere mili-second, her gaze whipped back towards the hedgehog just as he jumped to his feet, his glare angry and very far off for some reason that she couldn't place.

Meku's brows rose and a smile graced his face. "Impressive, Sonic. Impressive."

And somehow, Sonic smiled back, though his was mixed with a bit of anger. "Heck yeah I am."

There wasn't even a chance for Sally to breathe when Sonic flew at his opponent. Somehow, even Meku wasn't able to catch and stop Sonic in time, much less guard the various punches that he had bestowed upon him.

The volley of attacks that Sonic gifted Meku with were so fast that the white hedgehog wasn't even able to catch his breath in-between them. Each punch that hit him was harder than the last, sending a blacked sky fully equipped with stars across his vision. He attempted at one point to dodge Sonic's attack, but he was quickly met with the unpleasant feeling of Sonic grabbing him by the wrist and slamming him into the ground repeatedly.

Once he had finished with that, Sonic gritted his teeth and with all his might, began to spin the hedgehog around. His vision returned to normal mid-spin, but by then it was too late to do anything about it. With a loud shout, Sonic threw his opponent into the air, so high and fast that he crashed into one of the few places were the ceiling remained (which caused Sally to gasp, since it had been rather close to where her broken piece of hanging rubble was).

The moment he had connected with the stone, Sonic cried out, "Chaos break!" causing the ceiling around him to crumble. Sally yelled in surprise, though her stone resting place held as the stone around Meku fell with him.

Rock and hedgehog fell to the ground with a crash, but Sonic stayed still, his gaze far off and distant as he waited. He was there for a few seconds, but sure enough, the white hedgehog emerged from the rubble before long, sporting broken bones, bruised limbs, and a smile that was almost proud. For some reason that Sally simply couldn't understand, the physco was just like Sonic. He loved a good fight.

The white hedgehog didn't even stop to catch his breath, though, as he ran at the hero. He threw a bloody fist at the blue blur, which Sonic dodged effortlessly. The hero swiftly returned the attack with a hard upper-cut to the jaw, sending Meku up and backwards onto the stone floor.

He quickly jumped back up, smiling as he nodded at his opponent. The two charged on some anonymous, unseen agreement, and with one heavy thrust, Meku threw another punch. Sonic shifted his weight to the side and ducked, grabbing onto the hedgehog's wrist and flicking it off to the side, sending Meku into yet another reunion with the ground. The hedgehog turned as he attempted to return to his feet, on his one foot and one knee as his eyes flew across the area and—stopped.

Directly before him were two fingers, less than an inch away from his face, loaded with chaos energy and ready to strike without mercy. There was no avoiding them if they were to release any sort of attack, so with a smile, Meku took in a deep breath, looked up at Sonic, and nodded. "I guess this is check mate."

Sonic wasn't looking directly at him when he nodded, but it got the message across all the same. "Yeah."

It was silent for an entire minute as the two simply stayed in their places and breathed, their chests rising and falling so heavily that for a moment, Sally believed they would both collapse. They stood there until finally, Meku sighed, closing his eyes as he shook his head. "You've won, you know. You can stop aiming at me."

Sonic merely nodded, "I just wanted to make sure." He told him, sighing as he turned slowly. "Plus, I don't want you to attack me the moment I try to catch Sal. The last thing I need is to get all pissed off when I fight."

Sally's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name, and her eyes widened as she watched Sonic slowly walk in the direction that she was in. The very mention of her name reminded her that she was still actually there (rather than just watching like a movie-goer), and it pulled her back to reality.

The girl watched Sonic walk until he was directly below the spot she could climb out of, and she lost her breath when he looked up at her. "I'll catch you."

She nodded back at him, glancing around at the rest of the room before carefully sliding out of her little cranny. Far below, Meku was fixing up the damage that had been brought to the room, as well as the damage that had been bestowed to his own body. For a moment, she was captivated by the chaos energy that was healing the chamber, but she quickly shook it off and let herself drop.

He caught her without the slightest problem, which hadn't surprised her in the least. "Thanks," She said, looking up at Sonic as she smiled, her eyes widening when she look a good look at him. Holy crap, he looked terrible.

His face was adorned in bruises and cuts of all sorts, including quite a few that she only saw after he had put her down. The flesh all along his ribs was in particular bad condition (she was absolutely sure that he had broken a few ribs), and his arms were also sporting quite a few cuts that were cringe worthy. His stomach was also covered in bruises, and to put it simply, he looked exhausted, but far off for some reason. The look in his eyes was… it was…

With a gasp, Sally's hand clasped over her mouth. "Sonic," she whispered, shock filling her body. "Did… did you—?"

Sonic simply nodded. "Couldn't see a thing for that last part of the fight."

The hedgehog's eyes were in horrible condition. They were red and puffy, and to Sally's complete and utter horror, they were glazed over, scratched, and bloody. Just the sight of them made her cringe and want to throw up, and just as she was about to speak, Sonic smiled. "Sal, don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Fine? FINE? Sally scoffed, the rage swiftly taking control of her body. "Sonic the Hedgehog, you're blind! How on the face of all of Mobius is blind freaking fine?"

Sonic smiled and shrugged, closing his eyes (though it made no difference to what he saw) as he laughed. "Just cause."

Sally nearly punched him right then and there, but before she could, Sonic rapidly pulled her into a tight hug. "Because it reminded me that I shouldn't be so cocky." He whispered, "And it also reminded me that if I'm not smart about things, something like what happened to Tails might happen to you or me."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and instantly, the anger in her died off. The tenseness in her body faded, and she carefully leaned into him as he spoke. "It just… it reminded me why I learned the chaos arts in the first place. It made me remember I did it to protect people, to keep my friends from getting hurt, even if I still get beat up in the end. I could care less if I went blind, but if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

Sally nodded silently, putting her arms around him in the process, silently wishing that she wouldn't have become so mad. He always had a reason for things, even if he never told her about them out right. She simply had to stop having so little faith in him.

"Besides," Sonic finally whispered, backing away from the hug slowly. "I have these!" he exclaimed as he pulled one of the chaos emeralds out, smiling the entire time. "I can fix it, no problem. Chaos regeneration!"

Of course, the hedgehog still cringed when the chaos energy healed his wounds, bruises, and bones, but Sally simply laughed in reply. "Nice going, smart one."

Sonic blinked and shook his head, smiling even though everything still stung. "I know, I know. That's just how I am."

Sally smiled again, watching as Sonic opened his eyes. They were wide as they readjusted to the world around him, but after rubbing them a bit, he was back to normal. "There! Much better! Now, where's that emerald?"

Both Sonic and Sally glanced around for only a moment before their eyes met the final jewel, the yellow chaos emerald. It was floating undisturbed in the middle of the room, and the two made their way towards it without another thought. The hedgehog grabbed it with a wide smile, glimpsing at Sally once before storing it away with the others, a sense of triumph filling him in the process.

"Hey," Sally spoke as she looked about, her eyes growing wide. "Where did Meku go?"

Following Sally's example, Sonic's eyes began to examine every nook and cranny of the room before he furrowed his brow and shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe he left?"

The girl hummed, her gaze far off as she rubbed her left shoulder. "Maybe…" And she became silent for a moment. "Hey, could you fix my shoulder? Meku hit it earlier with his sword, and it still doesn't feel right."

"No problem!" Sonic exclaimed, "Chaos regeneration!" And just like that, the shoulder was back to normal.

"You know…" Sally sighed as Sonic scooped her up in his arms, "I had this big plan and everything when it came to defeating Meku. I was going to beat him by using myself as bait for you so you'd end up attacking him, and it was going to be marvelous and all that jazz."

Sonic smirked, nodding as Sally smiled. "I bet it would have been. I would have liked to see it!"

"Heck yes you would have. In fact, it would have—"

The hedgehog was wearing a big grin as he held his princess, and though he was listening intently to her, he suddenly found something else grasping for his attention. It was a tiny little voice, just bellow a whisper, but it caught him all the same.

_Keep her safe. _

It froze him in his spot and made a shiver run up and down his spine. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and for a few seconds, the world was absolutely still before he turned back to see where the voice had originated from. Where…?

"Sonic," Sally spoke, quickly pulling him back into reality. "Are you alright?"

Shaking his head, Sonic swallowed, taking a moment to find his words. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought…" he trailed off again, glancing over his shoulder yet again.

"You thought what?"

Sonic was silent for a moment, lost in the air around him, in the voice that had called him back, in the memory of his opponent that must have owned that whisper, in the temple that was suddenly so strangely familiar to him before he shook his head and smiled softly. "Nothing, Sal, it's nothing."

The girl stared at him questioningly, and he smiled again, laughing at the same time. "I promise, it's nothing!" He said, kissing her on the forehead. "It's all good. We're all good."

After a few seconds of staring him down, Sally smiled at him in return, and with yet another chaos control, the two were on their way to the last stand.

* * *

><p>The seventh emerald is in their position. All that lies before them is their final obstacle-the final battle. The end is near.<p>

This chapter was really fun to write. :D I've been excited about this fight since I started writing this story. XD Woo hoo! And hey, the update didn't take forever! :D That's an added bonus!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! It means a lot to me! XD Until next time, guys!


	28. The Breath Before the Break

** Chapter 28: The Breath Before the Break**

Perfect. Everything was completely, totally, and utterly perfect. Not an obstacle in the way, not a single piece of the puzzle out of place. For the first time in what must have been forever and a half, everything was working out the way it should have been. The Eggxterminator was in peak condition, ready for battle, and after the period of twenty-nine days, fully charged.

It was ready. And somewhere, running across the span of Mobius, so was Sonic.

The very thought made a malicious grin overcome the man.

How magnificent their last battle would be! How absolutely wonderful! The hedgehog's last stand was going to be nothing less than spectacular, like a dying star, and oh, how the world would mourn his downfall. How'd they cower in fear at the thought, the realization of Dr. Eggman's victory, at the very notion of him ruling their world. Once Sonic was gone, nothing was going to stop him. Nobody would stop him. Soon, Mobius would be his, and that was a promise.

A promise that he wasn't going to break.

"Sir," Snively called out, pulling him quickly from his train of thought. "Should I start the broadcast and send out the Egg Fl—"

Dr. Eggman smiled and nodded, swiping his hand through the air and effectively cutting off his nephew at the same time. "Of course, Snively. Need you even ask?"

An exasperated huff was sent in the doctor's direction, but for once, Eggman merely shrugged it off as his nephew punched in the commands. At the moment, Snively's bad mood harbored no punch, for the day was his. In fact, the very world was his.

It started as a chuckle, but very quickly, it escalated into a full blown maniacal laugh. "Soon enough, Sonic! It will be all too easy!"

* * *

><p>The world had fallen into a unanimous hush, a single quietness that had swallowed the planet whole. It was cold, and it made everything feel undeniably breakable. Fragile, like it was nothing but a piece of glass or paper, or something that had been created for the mere function of being destroyed. Somehow, it felt as if every single being on the planet was holding their breath, waiting and hoping for that one beacon of light, their only hope, the Hero of Mobius himself: Sonic the Hedgehog.<p>

It was both exhilarating and somewhat frightening every time he went off to save the world (even though he never admitted that it _was _a tiny bit over-whelming). The thought of everything and everyone's lives lying in his hands, the very idea of their existences depending on his victory sent adrenaline rushing through his body. They all believed in him, hoped in him, cheered for him as he moved onward towards the battle. It was his responsibility to save them, and he knew that he could do it, even with that itty-bitty morsel of fear.

Heck, the insignificant pulling at the back of his mind that came off as "fear" had nothing on him when he really thought about it. He was Sonic the Hedgehog! Fastest thing alive, Hero of Mobius, the works! If Eggman seriously believed he was going to win after all his other attempts, after _years_ of trying to take over the world, then he seriously had another thing coming, especially since Sonic was bringing his own little surprise to the battle field: Sally.

"Sonic," And speaking of which, "We're almost to the prime launch point! Just a little bit farther!"

Sonic nodded at Sally, smiling his signature toothy grin as he quickened his pace. "Right!"

After only a single night of rest, the duo had spent the entire day speeding towards the "prime launch point" (as Sally had dubbed it) in order to reach Eggman. Not even a single minute to stretch or eat had been wasted upon waking up. The moment the hero and his princess were coherent enough, they headed out as fast as they possibly could. The clock had struck twelve, and it was as simple as that.

"Sonic," Sally suddenly spoke, derailing Sonic from his train of thoughts once more. "Something's up with Nicole." She told him, her brow furrowed as she stared at the screen of her hand-held computer. "She's picking up a signal and it's causing some major interference…"

The hedgehog simply smirked, "Let it through. I have a feeling I know what it is."

Sally wordlessly complied. She clicked a few buttons, her eyes widening only slightly when the transmission began and her gaze set upon the man on the screen. How had she been expecting anything, no, anyone else?

"Citizens of Mobius! The day has come!" The doctor exclaimed, Sonic merely smirking and releasing a huff as a reply. "Today, I shall rise as the ruler of this world, and you will all finally bow down to me as your rightful ruler! Not even your precious hero will be able to stop me!"

"Ha," Sonic laughed, shaking his head. "We'll see about that then, won't we?"

Sally glanced away from the screen, smiling once at Sonic as the self proclaimed "ruler" continued onward. "It's simply too bad that he can't resist a challenge! Isn't that right, Sonic?"

The hedgehog smiled, and the doctor grinned right back as if he could see the hero's face.

"You have ten minutes, Sonic. After your time is up… it will begin!"

Within the blink of an eye, the image of the doctor transformed into a countdown adorned with Eggman's all too familiar logo in every corner. Above the numbers were a series of words that read, "The battle begins in—" and below them it continued with, "Stay tuned, folks!"

Some people seriously never changed.

It took a mere minute after that for the duo to arrive at the prime launch point, and as soon as they reached it, Sonic put Sally down and looked up at the sky. A low whistle almost instantly was released from his lips, causing Sally's eyes to turn skyward as well.

"You can see it from here." He spoke, his brow knit together as he examined the ship. It was tiny from where he stood, but he knew for a fact (just like everyone else on the planet) that its true size was absolutely over-whelming.

Sally nodded in agreement, her eyes growing wide and her heart skipping a beat the moment her gaze settled upon it. "And the Egg Fleet too. That's what's it's called anyways, right?"

"Yep," Sonic spoke, nearly laughing. "Why does he need the Egg Fleet when he has that thing with him? Isn't it supposed to be unbeatable?"

"I guess he just likes having back-up…" Sally whispered absent-mindedly. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't wrap her mind around what she was seeing. It was beyond what anyone could ever think of calling insane, bar none.

The hedgehog hummed and nodded, folding his arms before he spoke. "Yeah. And speaking of which," Sonic said as he looked at Sally. "I want you to come with me."

It took less than a second for the words to sink in, and the moment they hit her, Sally's head whisked towards him. Her eyes were wide as she gawked at him. "What?"

"You heard me, Sal. I want you to come along with me and help me whip Eggman's sorry butt!"

Sally's ears nearly fell, and she almost took a step back. "Sonic, I can't go super! I can't fight Eggman with you! I'm not strong—fast enough—I'm not—I can't! Sonic, I'm just not—"

Her stuttering stopped the moment the hedgehog took her left hand in his. "Yes you can, Sal! You're so much stronger than you think! Believe me, I know!"

She swallowed and glanced off to the side. "Sonic, I don't know. I'm just not—"

"Me?" He cut her off, a soft smile adorning his lips. "You don't have to be! Sal, you're great the way you are, and you better believe me when I tell you that! Heck, look at all the amazing stuff you've done on our journey! You help me beat all those monsters, got me through the water temple, took care of Meku until I turned back to normal, and Sal, you soloed a temple! You did it all by yourself, no help from me!"

The words from her hero lifted her sprits by a bit, enough to make her expression slowly morph into one of thoughtfulness rather than doubt, and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could, though, Sonic beat her to it. "And you know what Sal? I've always believed in you, Sal. You _can _do it. I know you can."

Sally smiled, letting her eyes slowly and casually meet his. For awhile she was silent, contemplative and almost doubtful, before she finally spoke in a soft voice. "You really think I can do it?"

He nearly laughed. "I already told you. I don't think you can do it, I _know _you can. Always have, always will."

She lit up with a smile so contagious that Sonic's own smile morphed into a toothy grin. "Thank you, Sonic."

Sonic simply smiled and nodded, quickly pulling her into a kiss before she could say anything else.

"You little flirt." Sally laughed when the two pulled away.

The hedgehog grinned back, but he didn't speak. Rather than that, Sonic pulled his right arm up. He became entirely still as the chaos emeralds flashed into sight, making Sally's heart skip a beat. Blue, yellow, red, cyan, green, gray, purple—every emerald was present and accounted for. It was really time.

Sally hadn't realized that she had been shaking until Sonic's hand squeezed hers a little tighter, instantly steadying her. "Hey," he spoke, his voice soft, "It's going to be alright. I promise you, Sally Alicia Acorn, we can do this."

She stared at him, opened her mouth as if she was going say something, but quickly closed it instead instead. Nodding, she shot him a confident grin that instantly made him proud, "Yeah." And with that, they closed their eyes.

For a few moments, it felt as if nothing was changing, and Sally began to wonder if something had gone wrong. Perhaps Sonic had summoned the fake emerald instead of the real yellow jewel, or maybe she just couldn't handle the—

A flare of heat, pure power, a jolt of chaos energy suddenly shot across Sally's body, making her heart skip a beat and a gasp slip past her lips. What on Mobius? Her heart had started racing at such a pace that Sally feared she was going to have a heart-attack. Why hadn't Sonic warned her about that particular little side effect? Swallowing, Sally did her very best to shrug it off. She couldn't let it hurt her. She had to embrace it, let it take her over, swallow her…

And suddenly, to Sally's surprise, it did. She could feel the chaos energy racing through her body, wiping out her weariness, filling her with a renewed confidence that simply couldn't be denied. It took her completely, claimed her as its own, and—

"Systems rebooted, restoration complete. Hello again, Sally. It's been too long."

Her heart nearly stopped at the sound of her friend's voice, and without another thought, her eyes shot open. Instantly, her eyes fell upon Sonic, who was smiling, floating a few inches above the ground, and quite literally glowing. His crimson eyes sent a jolt of surprise through her system when they met hers, and his golden color made her breathing suddenly irregular, even with all the energy coursing through her system. He was absolutely heart-stopping, breath-taking, and even beautiful in her own eyes. And she was—she spoke before she even took a look at herself.

"Is that really you, Nicole?"

A laugh, distinctly female, rang throughout her ears. "The one and only, Sally!"

Excitement was suddenly accompanying and fueling the energy in her body, and without another warning, she began to look around. "Where are you?" She asked, her voice so joyful that she could hear her friend giggle.

Sonic laughed as well and spoke for the artificial life form, his voice strong and sturdy and so, so real. "Oh, she's not far."

"What do you mean?" Sally asked as she reached for the miniature computer in her vest pocket, "Are you—whoa."

Her eyes settled upon her own hand, which was adorned in purple metal—armor—that was glowing slightly. "Nicole, you've—" She exclaimed as she looked down at the rest of her body, which was covered in purple and yellow armor. The only place that hadn't been taken over by the metal was her head, which was surrounded by a glass helmet (or at least something that looked like glass).

"Gone super! And you have too, Sally." Nicole exclaimed, "Take a look!"

A mirror image of her own face sudden flashed across the helmet, and Sally's heart skipped another beat. She was burning gold, her eyes were flaring scarlet, and… and…

"That's amazing." Sally whispered, her heartbeat increasing in speed yet again, "That's so cool."

Sonic nodded, "Yes, it is." And then for some reason he paused, a mischievous grin suddenly adorning his face. "Sal?"

She turned to him, giddy and very, very excited. "Yeah?"

He pulled up his fist towards Sally and sent her one of those smiles that was simply everything she loved seeing. "Let's do it to it."

And she pulled up her hand, smiling as she bumped her fist against his twice, and ending the gesture with the thumbs up they had done as children.

Then turning skyward, his heart racing, and an excitement that he couldn't hide filling his entire being, Sonic smiled. "Sal, how do you like your eggs?"

She grinned, "Scrambled."

"Small world! I'm the same way!"

Nicole laughed at the couple's banter, "You guys have gotten weirder since the last time I saw you two interact. What exactly did I miss?"

The two didn't answer. Instead, they looked at each other, exchanged glances that said everything and nothing at same time, then nodded and shot off. Boy, was Eggman in for a surprise.

And so was the rest of the world, unbeknownst to the hero, the princess, and the AI.

* * *

><p>It's all come down to this! The battle you've been waiting for is almost here! :D Sonic, Sally, Eggman, Snively, and the newly restored Nicole-who will win? At what cost? Soon, you will all know!<p>

Dude, it's been 10 days since I last updated. :) I'm really happy that I got a chapter out! :D And it's a short one, but no worries! The next two are going to be very big chapters! :D

Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! :D It means so much to me! ^-^

Until next time! :D


	29. A Dark…

**Chapter 29: A Dark... **

The incomprehensible speed he was flying at, the crystal clarity that embraced his entire being, the pure, untainted energy that flooded his body… it was all so wonderfully breath-taking for Sonic. It filled his mind with an excitement unlike any other, a drive to brawl, a shot of adrenaline, an intensity he only ever experienced in his super form. He _loved _it.

And oh, he was itching for a fight. For the chance to put Eggman in his place for threatening the world, for thinking he could do something so vile. Did he honestly think he could get away with a threat like that? Eggman was going to have to make his getaway in the smallest escape pod he could find, because once Sonic was through with him, that was the only thing that was going to be left. No one messed with Mobius so long as Sonic was around.

Unless they wanted to get punched in the face, of course.

When Sonic thought about it, he was quickly reminded that there was virtually no possibility of Eggman winning. Hadn't that wacko realized that the bag guys _never _won? Obviously, even after years of losing to a child, it had never managed to drill its way through his thick skull. If he couldn't beat Sonic when he was still losing baby teeth, how did he expect to beat him now that he was almost an adult?

Heck, how did Eggman even expect to beat him with Sally by his side? At the mention of her name in his head, Sonic turned to face her, a smile on her face when their eyes met. Even though it was her first time going super (as well as Nicole's), Sonic knew that Sal was capable of a lot. She wasn't nearly as strong or as fast as Sonic, true, but in super form, anyone had enough power to cause some major destruction, and she was no exception. With Sally by his side, taking the Eggxterminator out was going to be a piece of cake.

When the thought crossed his mind, Sonic flashed a toothy grin at Sally. She responded with an equally excited smile, and with that, the two looked forward again.

It wasn't long after that that the two came close enough to the fleet to fully comprehend its numbers.

The fleet had more than doubled in size since the last time Sonic had ripped it apart several years ago. There were hundreds—maybe even thousands—of the gigantic full-scale war ships, smaller, speed oriented fighters, and countless other vessels equipped with laser and cannons and anything else that could cause at least some damage. And as if all that wasn't enough, hovering far behind and above the fleet was the Eggxterminator, frozen in its place next to the moon, waiting for the hedgehog that was sure to cut through the battle like it was nothing.

Sonic nearly chuckled at the thought. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"You ready, Sal?"

She nodded, shooting an excited grin right at him. "Heck yeah, I am."

The two didn't even need to say anything for them to know what the other was thinking.

Sonic looked back ahead, grinned, and laughed. "Then let's do this!"

And the two soared into the inferno.

Within less the beat of a heart, the blink of an eye, every ship, every fighter, and every vessel in the Egg Fleet turned to the hero and the princess, and without a single order, fired. Below on the face of Mobius, the countdown reached zero, and a live video feed of not one, but two glowing, golden, flying figures lit up every television, every smart phone, and every other device with a screen. All eyes instantly shot towards them, pure awe holding the inhabitants of the planet captive as the two began to cut their way through the metal of the ships.

"Easy!" Sonic exclaimed as he sped ahead of Sally, throwing his hand up and swatting away one of the many blasts from the lasers as he laughed. "I hope you have something better than that! Otherwise, this will be way too easy!"

Sally raised her eyebrows in amusement, her eyes trailing ahead in an attempt to find a stray shot that was heading in her direction. Sure enough, her gaze met one purple blast that was speeding towards, and with one quick, instinctive flinch, she sent it flying back into one of the smaller fighters.

She smiled when the fighter was sent spinning in the opposite direction, though the huff from the hedgehog off to the side made it turn into an amused smirk. "Pft. Lucky shot."

Sally put her hands on her hips as she readjusted her position so she was flying sideways, nearly giggling as she looked at him. "Oh really, Sonic?"

Sonic laughed as he mirrored her action. "Sal, I'm going to show you how it's done. And trust me," He spoke, his voice strong and confident rather than silly and childish, his smile suddenly taking on a level of maturity that made him look wise beyond his years. "You've got a lot to learn."

The princess only had the chance for her cheeks to burn a rosy color before Sonic smiled, nodded, and shot off to begin his reign of chaos. Goodness, sometimes he just… he just gave her that look and it made her melt. There was no way she was ever going to tell him that since it would have gone straight to his head, but there was no denying it in her mind. He was a _very _handsome young man.

Not to mention, he was pretty darn talented as well.

"Come on Sal! I'll need all the help I can get!"

Sally quickly snapped out of her daze, nodded, and yelled back to the hedgehog. "Right!" And with that she took off towards the nearest ship, Nicole's systems bursting into full glory as the AI started speaking to her friend.

"Let's focus on containing the damage. Don't let anything past the point where they started firing at us! Take out the guns and other weapons before destroying the body!"

Sally nodded, a subtle smile over-coming her face as the voice of the friend she had missed so much sunk in to her mind and heart. "Right!" To put it simply, Nicole didn't comprehend how much she had been missed or how grateful Sally was for her help. At the moment, a strategy like hers, however straightforward it was, was the exact thing Sally needed to start fighting.

Sonic; however, didn't need any instruction to begin, for he was relying purely on instinct and an urge to destroy everything in sight. Without a single thought, he crashed directly through the first ship he came in contact with, throwing his arms out to the side as he flew through its belly, taking steel and fire and sparks with him as his only souvenir.

"Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" Sonic laughed as he tore through the other side of the air craft, large strips of metal still grasped in his hand. "And by all," He said, twisting around in time to face a mass of on-coming fighters, wind his arms back like he was holding a baseball bat, and swing the metal right into the ships. "I meant you guys!"

The smaller ships were sent spinning in the opposite direction, twirling and twisting like mad until they collided with another larger craft. They burst into a blast of flames and metal once they connected with the it, leaving a large gap in the side of its hull.

"Oh, out of the park!" Sonic exclaimed, chucking the razor sharp metal as hard as he possibly could through the ship. "It's another home-run, and the crowd goes wild!"

The flying fortress gave one last weak sputter before the engines failed and explosions began to rattle its entire body. Sonic merely grinned, his eyes drifting to the next ship. What next, what next?

An idea was born within a matter of mili-seconds, making his heart-beat speed up in excitement. Oh yes, that would do! In his giddiness, he barely gave the option a second thought before he was hurling himself toward the vessel, a malicious grin on his face as he cried out, "Chaos ignite!"

A flurry of blue flames burst from his hands, swallowing every inch of the ship before any of the bots running it could run a single order, and quickly reducing the hull into a molten, permanent mess to boot. He ended the barrage within a matter of seconds, but the ship was nearly glowing white with the heat that was still trapped inside.

"Heck yeah, that's how hot I am!" Sonic yelled as he threw his arms up, his signature toothy smile gracing his face. "Rip apart!"

A ripple traveled across the surface of the ship before it maliciously tore itself to pieces, the melted metal spraying itself in every direction and covering the surrounding ships in a firework of white and subdued blue. Panic claimed the Eggbots and Swatbots manning the ships that had been engulfed, and collectively they all sent out a single agreement.

"Hedgehog priority one, hedgehog priority one!"

Sonic simply raised an eyebrow, laughing as he soared forward. "That sounds like fun to me!"

The ships turned in unison, all moving towards the hedgehog as he balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth into another toothy smile. "Let's go, then!"

An onslaught of lasers and canons were suddenly upon Sonic, coming from every direction he could possibly think of. A few of the initial shots whizzed right past his ear at the first, making a laugh pass his lips as he began to twirl about, dance, as they gradually began to close in on him. "Oh, this is great! I could do this all day!"

The bots increased their fire, but not a single attempt even came close to hitting him. He was just too fast, simply too graceful, far too skilled to be dealing with such amateurs. Though Eggman had been able to in the very least graze him in battle, his bots usually failed to ever even get close! Honestly, after years of building bots, didn't it ever occur to the evil genius that adding even a mildly accurate aiming system might have been a good idea?

Apparently not, because they still couldn't hit the hedgehog to save their lives.

"Alrighty then," Sonic cried out in-between his dance, smiling once again as he readied two fingers with a burst of energy. "My turn. Chaos strike!"

A mighty surge of lighting detonated from his fingers, spider-webbing off into every ship that was in the immediate vicinity, and causing them all to seize in place. Pure, untainted energy grasped them, short-circuiting every piece of machinery inside and causing the ships to go cold and lifeless before Sonic could blink twice.

He nodded once at his work, whipping his head in the other direction in a desperate attempt to find another toy he could smash.

Or cut, actually.

The moment his eyes met the next vessel, he smiled and shouted, "Chaos control!"

Everything but one glowing, flaming figure in the distance had frozen in place, for they were all incapable of over-coming even the slightest power of the chaos incantation's grasp. They were beyond what anyone could call still, and they were left wide open for the onslaught that was Sonic the Hedgehog.

Within the stillness, he slashed through the ships at full speed, cutting the ships either into perfect halves or tiny shreds with the chaos incantations he released as he blasted through them. Behind him, only fragments of the vessels remained, tiny pieces that couldn't have been put back together with all the knowledge that Eggman possessed. He was a storm without an eye, without an end, and without a limit. He was chaos in its simplest form.

Eventually, though, the hedgehog released his grip on the chaos control and let the bots assess the damage. It was needless to say that they panicked at the quite sudden loss of a fourth of their fleet, but they quickly made due with what they had. Moments after time continued to flow as it was designed, a large chunk of the fleet began moving towards the hedgehog. They were intent on taking him out, no matter what the cost was.

How silly, Eggman's bots were.

With another quick chaos control, Sonic found himself on the back half of one of the fleet's ships, surrounded by bots that, when they realized he was there, charged after him. He simply laughed at their attempts, shaking his head in the process. "That's pretty funny. Honestly, it is!"

Before the closest one could even think of brushing his fingers against Sonic's glowing body, the hedgehog performed a quick flip backwards. He angled himself; let his body descend in the perfect position so that in his downward flight, he could throw out his right arm into the metal. His single strike cut right through the hull, and once he was sure he had caught the ship right, Sonic continued his flight downward, dragging his hand through the outer shell to form a deep cut right between the two engines at the back.

When the scar had been gifted to the ship in full, Sonic deepened his grip within the ship's shell, gritting his teeth as he grabbed on tight and took in a deep breath. He had wanted to try something like this since the fight had started, and with any luck, it was going to wow everyone watching (especially Sal, hopefully).

The muscles in his arms clenching and his brow knitting together, Sonic threw his weight off the side, pulling the ship along with him as he tried his hardest to drag the craft with him. To his pleasant surprise (or excitement, since he was absolutely giddy at that point), the vessel also joined him in his dance, moving slowly at first as Sonic continued to spin, holding on to the vessel with all his might.

Gradually, the twirling hedgehog's speed picked up. Before long, he was spinning the behemoth at such a speed that several of the other ships had stopped what they were doing, if only for a second, to watch the hedgehog in awe. Ah, how stupid bots were. He loved it.

He spun the ship one more time before, with a loud cry, he released it off into the direction that the other vessels had parked themselves in. For a single moment, Sonic could taste the panic that emanated from the ships that were attempting to move out of the way, but as soon as his ship collided with them, it was replaced by the sure knowledge that the vessels were done for.

Sonic grinned at the thought. Now, that had been totally wick—

For the very first time since the battle had started, a force finally connected with Sonic, smacking him right in the side of the head and sending him flying off in the other direction. Though it hadn't hurt, it had surprised him enough to leave him speechless and cut his train of thought off. Sheesh, couldn't they have at least given him a warning?

He didn't have the chance to regain his bearings before he crashed into something that released a surprised, "Whoa!" upon contact, which instantly made his heart skip a beat out of excitement. Without a second word, the hedgehog turned, smiling at the sight of Sally and Nicole.

"Hey Sal, Nicole! How have you two been holding up?"

The princess returned the grin when her eyes met his. "Not bad! You?"

"Not bad either. Took out a big chunk of the fleet earlier!"

She nodded, "We noticed. We've been—"

A laser shot right between the two, cutting the princess off before she could finish and effectively making her eyes widen in the process. "Right. Less talking, more fighting."

Sonic grinned, "That's the way, Sal." And with that, he turned and took off yet again.

She watched him for a moment before snapping back to reality, quickly shaking her head before scanning the area for another active ship. The moment she located one, she shot off towards it, her eyes narrowing as she scanned it for any weak points.

Though not nearly as destructive, experienced, or skilled with the super form as Sonic was, Sally had been holding her own on her end of the fight. She had taken down several of the full sized air-crafts during the fight, destroyed the weapons on most of the remaining larger ships, and had done an efficient job at keeping the ships from passing the line that Nicole had designated. All in all, she was doing a pretty good job for her first time going super.

"Sally, you've got some fighters on your tail. Watch yourself!"

At the sound of her friend's voice, Sally let a soft smile grace her lips. "Thanks Nicole." She replied, glancing behind her for just long enough to get a glimpse of the ships. Three smaller ones built for speed, and two with bigger guns and better aims. Perfect.

Narrowing her eyes, Sally let her eyes wash over the ship ahead. She spent less than a second planning the path of destruction she'd take, and within a matter of moments, she was carrying out her verdict.

She swerved in-between the bots and weapons that sat on top of the ship, veering away from each obstacle at the last second possible. With almost every shot they took, the fighters trailing behind her missed their target and hit one of the weapons or bots instead, quickly resolving them to speed up their fire-power in an attempt to hit her. Rather than accomplishing that goal, though, the bots in the fighter ended up destroying even more of the ship, eventually causing so much damage that by the time they had finished firing, the vessel was nearly unrecognizable.

In time, the fighters quit trying to hit her with their lasers and instead attempted to ram into her. They learned very quickly, though, that flying so low to the larger vessel was simply not a smart move.

Several of the ships were caught and clipped by the weapons and machinery that towered upon the top deck, causing them to explode the moment that they crumpled against the metal of the larger craft. The few that didn't met a worse fate when Sally realized what they were doing.

"You're trying to keep up with me like this? Sheesh, you guys _are _dumb!"

Slowing only slightly, Sally lowered her flying position, smirking as she glanced back at the bots again. "Let's try this, then!" She exclaimed as she pulled one leg out in front of her, letting it connect with the surface of the ship for a single moment before throwing the other one out immediately afterward. "Here goes nothing!"

She ran on top of the craft for a few precious seconds before gathering her strength and with one strong bound, flipping backwards above the ship. For a single second, she could see every inch of the battle from the corner of her eye; Sonic ripping through the ships like a madman, the bots trying in vain to strike back, and far away from the battle, the Eggxterminator, waiting for the two to finish the first half of the clash. It left her without proper breath for a single moment, but she quickly snapped her attention back to the ships below her, throwing her arms out in front of her as she shouted.

"BLAST!"

An explosion of energy burst from Sally's hands, so strong that it vaporized the fighter ships that had been unlucky enough to be caught in her line of fire, and powerful enough to leave a gigantic, gaping hole in the larger ship.

"For some reason," Nicole said, Sally's ears suddenly perking up. "You're reminding me or Ironman right now."

Sally chuckled. "Then does that make you Jarvis?"

Nicole released a sarcastic laugh in response, but before she had the chance to reply properly, another laser shot past Sally. "More fighters!"

"I noticed!" Sally exclaimed, taking only a mere moment to glance at the fighters before taking off in the opposite direction.

The second time around, there were only the smaller, speedier fighters chasing after the princess. They were slightly faster than the others before then, and as Sally quickly learned after trying to make her way through a wibbly-wobbly path, much more agile.

"No good." Sally told herself, turning to look back at the fighters once more. "Let's try something else!"

The princess hummed to herself, reflected for a moment on her options, and glanced off to the side quickly before taking a sudden dive off to the left. As she had been expecting, though, the fighters took the turn with the same sharpness, still firing at her as she flew up next to another larger craft, each of them still in perfect working condition. All right then, what next? Maybe she needed to be spontaneous?

If she had been in any another situation, she would have brushed the thought off the moment it had been born, but after everything she had learned on her journey, she welcomed the idea. If relying on instinct worked so well for Sonic, who was to say it wouldn't work for her, especially when she was in her super form?

The princess nodded to herself and took in a deep breath. It was time to forget the strategy and just have fun with it.

So with that thought, Sally faced the ship to her side and threw herself onto its surface. She took off the moment she landed on her feet, running until she reached the edge of the ship. Then, crouching for a single moment, she leapt off the craft, spinning and twirling until she landed on the next closest ship. From there, she continued the cycle of running, jumping, and spinning until she had a greater lead on the petite fighters.

Once she was content with her lead, she nodded to herself and took one more giant leap. She spun backwards up into the air, her eyes wide open and her arms out-stretched as she shot a series of bolts at the bots. And to her pleasant surprise, Sally found that even with their agility, they were unable to avoid the attacks. Within moments, the fighters had been taken out, ripped apart, and declared broken for good.

She smiled when her eyes set upon the remains of the fighters, but it quickly faded when they began to wander about. Even though she and Sonic had taken out a huge chunk of the fleet, there were still so many ships to destroy. There had to be hundreds of them left. Did they have enough time to destroy them _and _defeat Eggman? Would their super forms last that long? For the first time in her super form, Sally felt uneasy. What would they do if they suddenly reverted back to their normal states? Would they be able to defeat Eggman? Heck, would they even be able to survive out there without them?

The hedgehog must have read her thoughts or she must have been thinking aloud, for the moment the thought crossed her mind, Sonic was by her side.

"We need to get rid of these guys." He said, nearly making Sally jump at the sudden sound of her voice. "We can't waste any more time on the fleet if we want to take the Eggxterminator out."

Sally turned to him, nodding quickly. "That's what I've been thinking. But what can we do? We can't just let the fleet go on!"

The hedgehog was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed as he pondered. "I don't know. Maybe we could—" but suddenly, a very, very mischievous grin over-took him. The moment the devilish expression found her, Sally's eyes widened and her heart, racing at super-sonic speed, skipped a beat.

"You're joking." Judging purely by the smirk on his face, though, it was obvious how resolute and sure of himself he was. Sally simply sighed as she out-stretched her hands to him, "Heaven help me."

Sonic chuckled, "Sal, just have fun with this! We've done it a million times, and I've never dropped you yet. Don't you have any faith in me?"

Sally shot him a flirty grin, and he simply sent it right back at her.

Before any of the bots, ships, or weapons could even think of striking the duo once again, the hedgehog had spun the girl around, twirling and twisting her so fast that when he released her in the direction of one of the ships, all that could be seen was a golden blur. It soared through the nearest ship, cutting though it with such ferocity and speed that once the blur had burst through the other side, the craft simply shuttered, sputtered, and died in a fiery explosion. The flash of light was so sudden that it left everything and everyone—the bots, the citizens of Mobius, even the madman watching from the Eggxterminator—breathless, thoughtless, and awed. Even after years of watching the hero, he always still managed to wow them.

And with Sally by his side, he did so much more than wow them.

The princess, still soaring at the heart-stopping speed Sonic had chucked her at, broke through another three ships before reaching the battle's edge, throwing her arms out to the side while she crashed through the ships. She ripped the crafts apart as she flew through them, kidnapping steel and circuits and fire while letting her eyes whip all around. For a moment she was lost in the chaos, struggling to keep up with the screams of the dying machinery and flaring steel as she moved. It was insanity in the most complex form, in its most perfect shape. It was so much, nearly too much for her… and then Sonic caught her and threw her again.

"Not bad, princess!"

It was always a short encounter with him, only ever lasting a few precious moments, but it was enough to clear her mind every time. When he'd catch her by the hands, spin her about, and hurl her back into the fray, it somehow made her feel safe. He never once missed her when he darted off to the other side of the fight to catch her (for he was always the fastest one on the battle field, bar none), even when it seemed as if there was no chance of him actually being able to reach her in time

"Nice job!

When he flung her into the fire, a smile on his face and a lighting quick compliment at his lips, she felt as if no matter what, she could do anything. She felt like, even when no longer in her super from, she could do anything. She could defeat any creature, over-come every obstacle, heck, she could even save the inhabitants of Knothole! So long as Sonic was by her side, she felt as if she could do anything. She _knew _she could do anything.

"Good one, Sal!"

And unbeknownst to her, Sonic felt the exact same way.

"That's my girl!"

So with one last loop, the hero threw the princess straight through the final line of ships, soaring after her the moment he released his grip on her. He caught her left hand within a matter of seconds, and together, the two smiled and ripped through the remaining aircrafts, sending fire in every direction.

When they were together, nothing could stop them.

Nothing.

A trail of sharp metal and empty hulls were all that remained of the Egg Fleet when Sonic and Sally halted to a stop. Though large chunks of the various vessels still lingered within the wreckage, there weren't enough pieces of the puzzle to fit the ships back together. Even if one of the ships still would have remained in working order, though, there hadn't been a single bot—Eggbot or Swatbot alike—that had survived the slaughter. No, the fleet had been reduced to a machinery graveyard, and it was as simple as that.

"I think," Sally finally spoke after a full ten seconds of assessing the damage. "It's safe to say that we're done with the fleet."

Sonic merely nodded and grinned. "Yep! Now we're on to the main course!"

The two turned in unison to the face Eggxterminator, and a laugh boomed from the colossal ship. "And what a treat it will be for you two! You've never tasted something like this, Sonic, Princess Sally."

Her ears flopping for a mere moment, Sally growled. "Do you really have to use princess? For crying out loud, I would prefer if you called me rodent!"

Sonic chuckled and patted her on the shoulder, "No worries, Sal. He won't even be able to utter your name when we're done with him. Right?"

She grinned back at him in response, and the two turned to face the Eggxterminator, readying themselves into battle positions.

"So foolish!" Eggman cried out, the machine suddenly bursting to life, throwing its arms and legs out in a similar arrangement to the two before him. "You both will learn your lesson! Especially you, Sonic! You will realize how unwise of you it was to bring your beloved to the battle front! I promise you, you will regret being so wreck-less!"

The man's maniacal laugh took over, and for a single moment, a shiver made its way through Sonic's body. He had heard that very laugh, that variation of Eggman's chortle in a nightmare only days ago. It uncovered a fear he had not wanted to admit he had, but with a quick shake of the head, Sonic brushed it off. What on Mobius was there to worry about? He knew for a fact that he and Sally were going to win. There was no point for him to be thinking about a silly nightmare he had been troubled with days ago, especially since he was about to participate in the best fight Mobius had ever seen.

Grinning, Sonic looked up to the head of the robot—where the cockpit was located, where Eggman and Snively were running the bot—and laughed. The Eggxterminator was titanic, loaded with all of Eggman's deadliest weapons, and just dying to be ripped apart by the hero and the princess.

Just _dying_.

* * *

><p>The fleet has been destroyed, and now, all that remains is the Eggxterminator. Will they stand triumphant, even with Eggman's chaos energy absorber that they don't know about? Only time will tell!<p>

I hope you guys enjoyed this one, because I sure did have fun writing it! :D Thanks to alwaysdoubted, Thomas Holmes II, Sesshomarusama3, and Parker117 for the reviews. :) It means so much to have your feedback. I always get so excited when I get a review, so thank you once again! And thank you to all the silent readers as well! It means a lot to me! XD

Until next time! I hope you're all looking forward to it, because I know I am! XD


	30. …Crimson

** Chapter 30: …Crimson**

A grin, confident, cocky, and excited, took control of the golden hedgehog as he threw himself full speed at the Eggxterminator, nearly laughing the entire time. "Let's DANCE!" He yelled, his voice filled with anticipation and a light, care-free attitude.

Quickly following his example, Sally smiled, laughing along with Sonic as she took off after him. "Then you get to lead!"

"Sounds good to me!" Sonic replied, glancing at Sally before turning back to face the machine again. "Just make sure you can keep up with my pace!"

The girl nodded in agreement and twisted her head to watch Sonic hurl himself face-first at the robot, moving at a speed that sent her mind spinning. With how fast he was moving, Sally was absolutely positive that there wasn't any way for him not to rip through the Eggxterminator, no possibility of him not causing at least _some _damage. No way on the face of Mob—

When Sonic collided with the bot, he was shocked to experience the unpleasant sensation of his head crashing into a _very_ hard metal wall. He cried out in astonishment rather than pain when he hit it, but before he could even think of doing anything else, he found himself being hurled back in the other direction. Wait, what, huh? What? Why hadn't the thing crumpled at his touch, why had it thrown him back into space? How exactly had it reflected his attack so easily?

Within a matter of seconds, Sonic was right by Sally's side again, a bit disoriented before he shook his head and furrowed his brow. "Okay, that was weird."

"I'll say," Sally agreed, "Maybe we should both go this time?"

Sonic nodded, "Yeah," and gritted his teeth. "I probably just hit it at the wrong angle or something!"

Before Sally could add anything else to his comment, Sonic took off again in a golden blur, a smile returning to his face. This time, he'd get strike it without a single problem! He'd rip through the metal so fast that Eggman wouldn't have even known what had hit—

The second time Sonic reached the Eggxterminator, moving faster than his last attempt, he had made sure to throw his fist out in front of him. When it contacted with the goliath, pain of all things ringing throughout his body, he gritted his teeth and widened his eyes, cringing. He nearly released a yelp in the process, but before he could, his momentum caused his body to catch up with his fist and crash into the Eggxterminator, chucking him back in the opposite direction within the blink of an eye. Wait, hold the phone! That wasn't—

"SonieeEEK!" Mid-thought, Sonic rammed into Sally, causing the both of them to cry out in both surprise and a bit of pain.

"Sorry, Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, quickly grabbing her hand and pulling them to a stop the moment he regained his bearings. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"I could tell!" She shot back, shaking her head before stealing a glimpse at Sonic, her gaze somewhat worried. "Let's try from another side."

Sonic nodded at her, and the two took off in opposite directions around the Eggxterminator. Surely, there was no way he could mess up again, especially since Sally was attacking the bot at the same time! Whatever it was that had caused Sonic to bounce off so easily must have been some sort of a concentrated shield, something that used _a lot _of power to work. If two super-beings were striking the bot at the same time, there had to be at least somewhat of a chance for one of them being able to cut through it, right?

_Only one way to find out! _Sonic thought as he turned abruptly upon reaching the perfect place to charge, gritted his teeth, and shot himself forward once again, Sally doing the same from the opposite side. This time for sure, he was certain!

For the third time, though, Sonic faced the disappointment of collapsing against the side of the bot, pain filling his body the moment he crashed into it. At the same time on the other side, Sally rammed into it, and together, they yelped out in shock and pain.

"Yeow!" Sally exclaimed, her eyes clamping shut when she hit the metal.

"Ugh!" Sonic grunted, cringing, his body becoming rigid.

The two were then flung back off into space, spinning and twirling at such a speed that it took them a good five seconds to stop and return to an upright position. What the heck was going on? Why couldn't they actually hit the Eggxterminator?

"Oh ho, ho, ho, ho! It seems that you two are having a bit of trouble attacking!" Eggman boomed, his voice filled with pride and undeniable excitement. "And it also appears as if it's MY turn!"

Just as Sonic had actually returned to a reasonable position, the Eggxterminator began to take its first step, to move for the first time since it had flown off into space. It shifted only slowly for the first few moments, but within the blink of an eye, its out-stretched left arm was suddenly moving so fast that only Sonic's last moment instincts saved him from being struck.

"Holy crap!" Sonic exclaimed, looking back towards where Sally had spun off to. "That was—Sal!"

Sally had not been as lucky as the golden speedster in dodging the attack, for by the time she had let her eyes return to the bot, it had already back-handed her and sent her spinning once again. She released a loud cry upon being smacked, her eyes shut tight and her body stiff as she flew backwards.

"Hold on," Sonic shouted, taking off in the direction Sally had been thrown. "I'm coming, Sal!"

The hedgehog had barely started his flight when Eggman laughed again, "And where do you think you're going, Sonic?" He exclaimed, throwing the Eggxterminator's arm directly in the hedgehog's path. "I haven't even warmed up and you're already running off! That's low even for you!"

Sonic's eyes widened and a gasp began to slip past his lips, and just as he was about to come to a complete halt, Eggman flicked the bot's hand into the hedgehog. It was a small action for the Eggxterminator, but for Sonic, it was another headache-inducing trip in the wrong direction. A cry freed itself from his throat once the gigantic hand collided with him, genuine pain causing his body to freeze for a whole five seconds.

What the heck was going on?

The very second that Sonic stopped spinning long enough to shake his head and look around, Eggman swung the arm at him again. "Impressive, isn't it?" He asked, laughing as the hedgehog yelped, flailing in a desperate attempt to avoid yet another attack. "It should be! I spent over two years working on it! And obviously, it all paid off!"

Sonic gritted his teeth, growling when the doctor started laughing. For once, the hedgehog's heart wasn't in it, the banter that went on between him and the doctor. Without his usual first successful hit to start the battle with, a tiny hint of doubt had settled into the hedgehog's system, as well as a good helping of annoyance. By this point in most of their clashes, Sonic had at least scratched the surface of Eggman's bot—within his current battle, the hedgehog had yet to even touch the thing without feeling pain, and in his super form, no less!

No, Sonic wasn't going to give Eggman the pleasure of mocking his poorly placed banter. For once, he was gong to focus on keeping quiet until he gained the upper hand, until he figured out how to damage the stupid thing first. Before he could even do any of that, though, he still had to reach Sal.

Speaking of which, was she still back there? His eyes trailing to the direction Sonic had last seen her in, the hedgehog swallowed. Hopefully she hadn't been hurled off too far. The last thing he wanted was for Sally to—

"DON'T IGNORE ME, YOU MISERALBE RODENT!"

Sonic cringed at the sound of Eggman's enraged voice, turning to see—his heart suddenly in throat—a barrage of missiles making its way towards him.

On most occasions the sight would have only made Sonic laugh, but given his bad luck so far in the battle, he didn't want to risk being struck. "Yikes!" He exclaimed, taking off before he could blink twice, "No thanks, Eggman!"

He was lucky enough in the fact that the missiles couldn't keep up with him, but he was just as unlucky in the fact that he had ran right into the Eggxterminator's grasp again.

"Nice try, Sonic!" Eggman cried out, flipping the bot's hand off to the side so it sent Sonic though space again. "But you're honestly going to have to be cleverer than that!"

A pained cry freed itself from deep within Sonic's throat, and just as he was about to readjust himself, he once more crashed into the very person he had been looking for. They both let out a loud, "OOF!" upon smashing into one another, their eyes wide as they rapidly turned to face one another.

"Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, his head still spinning for a few seconds as he returned to an upright position. "Are you alright?"

The girl, obviously just as disoriented as he was, shook her head before focusing on him. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. What about you?"

Sonic shrugged, "I could be worse."

"How about _will_ be worse, hedgehog?" Eggman boomed, causing both Sonic and Sally's attention to return to the bot in the nick of time. "Because you will be before long!"

Nearly gasping, Sonic grasped Sally's hand and dashed off to the side, narrowly avoiding another slap in the process. Sally took in a sharp breath once she realized such, furrowing her brow and growling before she cried out in frustration. "Are fights against Eggman always this annoying? We can't even land a single hit on him!"

Sonic shook his head, pausing and turning to face the mammoth of a ship. "No, actually. Most of the time, I _can_ actually land a hit."

"You can—you usually don't have any problems?" Sally asked incredulously. "What's different this time? Why can't you hit him?"

"I don't know!" Sonic exclaimed, yelping as he scooped Sally up into his arms (purely on instinct) and zoomed out of the way from another one of the Eggxterminator's attacks. "But we're not going to give up yet! There are still a few things I haven't tried yet!"

Sally shrieked as Sonic picked her up, nodding swiftly the moment they were out of Eggman's immediate range. "Then let's get to it! I'm kind of getting sick of being treating like a life-sized hacky sack!"

"Same here!" Sonic exclaimed, releasing Sally from his grasp. "And that means that it's time to pull out the big guns."

Sally's expression morphed into one of both confusion and a hint of sarcasm. "Guns?"

Sonic rolled his eyes, replying in an equally sarcastic tone, "You know what I mean Sal." before he growled, throwing his arms up, and bellowing, "CHAOS IGNITE!" in a loud voice.

Blue, furious flames burst to life, claiming Sonic's hands and licking away at his skin as if they could actually harm him. They were magnificent and somehow graceful, capturing Sally's attention for a fraction of a second just before Sonic's scowl intensified. "This time, Eggman. We'll see who's laughing after this."

His words, both sharp and playful at the same time, made Sally's attention snap back to Sonic in surprise. Whoa. Now _that _had sounded angry, especially for Sonic. She opened her mouth to speak, to comment on the intensity that had suddenly claimed his being, but a smile took over the hedgehog's face and before she could speak, he took off.

"Time to turn up the heat," Sonic cried out, throwing his arms forward as he shot upwards and towards the bot, "If you get what I'm saying, Eggman!"

The hedgehog's actions suddenly clicking in her mind, Sally gasped, following after him as she looked down at the Eggxterminator, readying her own attack in the process.

"Laser cannon!" She cried out, throwing her right hand out, steadying it with her left as the energy began to gather, Sonic's attack also gradually growing in strength until it reached its peak. "Shoot!"

It was as if the two had agreed on attacking at the same time, for the moment the chaos energy laser left Sally's grasp, Sonic cried out and hurled a wall of flames at the Eggxterminator. Together, the two blasts struck the robot, Sally's hitting the Eggxterminator squarely in the chest, and Sonic's swallowing the bot whole, leaving not even a single inch of the bot uncovered.

"How do you like that, Eggman?" Sonic roared, his stream of fire steady, strong, and livid all at the same time, "Bet you can't take that much!" Though Sally's attack was only a short blast, Sonic's assault continued on for several seconds, ending only when he stopped out of curiosity's sake.

"I hope you enjoyed that! Because by now, you're probably just a boiled rotten eg—"

He froze when the flames died off, his heart nearly stopping when his eyes settled upon the unscathed Eggxterminator.

"Oh," Eggman laughed, "Did someone turn up the thermostat? I think it just got an entire degree hotter in here!"

Both super-beings stared wide-eyed at the bot, open mouthed as the mad doctor laughed. "Indeed, hedgehog, 'turning up the heat' was a great idea! I don't know why I hadn't thought of it earlier!"

For the first few seconds after the failed barrage, the two simply seemed shocked by their lack of success. After Eggman had taunted the hero and the princess, though, a sudden rage, offense even, claimed the hedgehog. How dare that dirt bag? His expression morphing into a scowl, Sonic gritted his teeth, moving before Sally could even look at him.

"CHAOS STRIKE!"

A blast of lightning struck the Eggxterminator, causing the whole ship to rock for an entire two seconds, to fall backward as if the force had been enough to actually cause harm. It shuttered for a second, crackling as Eggman laughed, the electricity of the bolt racing over its outer shell.

"Very impressive, Sonic!" He applauded, "If you keep that up, you should be out of your super form in no time! It will be a new record for shortest super form ever sustained!"

The hedgehog's scowl strengthened in power, in rage, in pure fury at the fact that he was winning. He never didn't win—he never _lost_ to Eggman. Eggman wasn't supposed to have the upper hand. Eggman wasn't even supposed to be able to mock him like this. He simply wasn't.

It just wasn't right.

His muscles tightening, Sonic roared and shot another bolt at the Eggxterminator, "Shut UP!" sending another, another, and another in the same direction in an attempt to sway the bot. "Don't think for a single second that you're going to win this, Eggman! Don't even consider it, not even for a moment, you—"

"Sonic!" Sally exclaimed, grabbing onto his arm the moment she was by his side, "Stop! Don't you see that it's not doing anything?"

The hedgehog stopped, looking at Sally long enough to growl. "Well we can't just stand here and do nothing! We have to try something, Sal!"

"Yes," Sally exclaimed, "But we can't keep doing the same thing over and over again! We have to think of something else!"

"The princess is right," Eggman laughed, panels on the Eggxterminator's shoulders shifting away to reveal hidden reserves of missiles. "You can't keep trying the same thing over and over again! You'll only end up looking like a fool! And speaking of which," The bot lifted a hand towards the two, and as if the man was smiling, he cried out in a giddy voice, "Fire!"

The missiles were what captured the attention of the two, but the aimed laser that shot from the hand's palm were what reached them first, causing the two to squeal in unison while they spun off in opposite directions. Oh, of course! How hadn't either of them seen _that_ coming? The attack had been as obvious as Eggman ever was, as apparent the mid-day sun shinning in July for crying out loud!

"As I said before," Eggman laughed, watching as the hero's tried their hardest to escape the chaotic spinning. "So foolish!"

The two eventually managed to stop, to freeze long enough to look around to see where the other had ended up. Less than a second was needed for their eyes to settle upon one another, but the moment they opened their mouths to speak, the missiles reached them. They collided into their backs, sending a flare of pain across their skin and causing the two to whirl out of control for what must have been the billionth time within the battle.

Cries of shock filled the air when they were hit, cutting off without warning when the second and third rounds of ammo caught up with their brothers, knocking the two back and forth like they were in a giant game of pinball. Back and forth, up and down, side to side—never before had Sonic ever been knocked around like that before, much less in his super form. It was disorienting and humiliating, infuriating all at the same time.

"I haven't had this much fun in years!" Eggman chuckled, leisurely laughing as if he was enjoying a chat with old acquaintances and friends. "This is simply too easy!" More and more missiles cut through the air, flinging the two back and forth until the word _easy _found Sonic.

Easy. EASY?

Gritting his teeth, Sonic growled, his hands balling into tight fists. No. There was no way that he was going to let the fattie get away with that one. No way on the face of Mobius (or in their case, on the edge of its atmosphere).

His eyes narrowing and his ears perking up, Sonic let his body become still for a split second. He closed his eyes, let his senses take over, turned to his last resort that he had leaned on so heavily during journey. Peace, as impossible as it seemed to achieve in the chaos, swallowed the hedgehog, restoring his confidence and pulling his body into its full-fledged instinct mode, gifting him with the ability to avoid the missile that had been only inches away from his body.

"Close, but not fast enough!" Sonic exclaimed, smiling while he twirled out of the paths of the other missiles. "If you wouldn't have hit me with that first cheap shot, there wouldn't have been any way for you to hit me again!"

Eggman didn't respond right away to the hedgehog, making the hedgehog furrow his brow in response. Wasn't it routine for the man to shoot back some sort of a clever retort when he recovered from his rage? Heck, wasn't it tradition between the two? Shaking his head, Sonic let his gaze whip to where Sally was, where she was still being thrown around like an old rag doll. She wasn't too far away from him by that point, and if he just reached his hand out far enough…

"Yo, Sal!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing his arm out she was chucked past him, "Catch!"

Sally, though bewildered, was able to understand the hedgehog's one worded command. Without a single added thought, she flung her arm off to the side, Sonic's hand grasping onto her wrist in the nick of time and effectively causing her to whip-lash backwards at the same time.

"Whoa, sorry!" Sonic cried out, Sally yelping at the same time. "My bad! You alright?"

"Yeah, but—whoa!" His eyes opening, the hedgehog spun the girl off to side, twirling her as the two were engaged in a furious ball-room dance. "I'm dizzy, and this really isn't helping!"

"I know!" Sonic exclaimed, pulling her close without warning only to throw her out again, "I'm working on that!"

Eggman laughed full-heartedly, almost like he was clapping for joy. "What a beautiful dance! You two are simply marvelous!"

His eyes washing over the Eggxterminator for a fraction of a second, Sonic shook his head, releasing a, "Ha," before he spun Sally around again. "Heck yeah, we are. Just wait until you see this, Eggman! Chaos CONTROL!"

All at once, the missiles froze, the Eggxterminator halted, and a smile over-came Sonic Sally's face.

"Sweet!" Sonic cried out, picking Sally up as he flew off in-between the missiles. "That's what I'm talking about! Now let's see if we can actually get this thing to budge!"

Sally grinned, jumping out of the hedgehog's arms once they were out of the fire. "Right!" She exclaimed, nodding towards the hedgehog as the turned forward, speeding ahead, only golden blurs by that point. At last, the two had a chance, a way for them to actually strike back! Finally, they could—

"Heh, heh, heh," Their hearts nearly stopped the moment the low chuckle started, and they quite literally stopped in their places to gaze at the bot in disbelief. "Just kidding!"

Before Sonic or Sally could blink twice, the Eggxterminator's arms shifted, and the machine's hands almost clapped over the two like a bug. Sally released a loud shriek and shut her eyes, throwing her arms over her head in a vain attempt to protect herself from the impending doom, at the imminent pain that was about to befall her. Oh, this was going to hurt!

It took a bit, but the realization that the pain hadn't been delivered kicked in only when she heard Sonic grunting, struggling against some force that clicked the moment she heard him. "You've…" Sonic growled, Sally's eyes opening as a gasp slipped past her lips. "Got… to be kidding me!"

The hedgehog, shaking in his spot, teeth gritted together, muscles bulging, was holding the hands at arms length, sending a bolt of shock through Sally's body as she yelped. "Sonic!"

Sonic shook his head, laughing nervously as he spoke, his arms quivering worse with every second that passed. "Honestly, he has a lot of nerve, I'll give him that much! He deserves it, the fat punk!"

Her eyes widening, Sally shook her head, partially in disbelief of what had happened, and partially out of fear for Sonic. How had Eggman done that? That shouldn't have even been possible, not in a hundred-thousand years! He had just broken his way right through a chaos control! And not just any chaos control, but one performed by a master of the chaos arts in his super form. "You can't be serious," She exclaimed, her gaze flipping between the hedgehog and the bot. "You seriously can't be!"

Sonic snarled, "You're telling me." Before cringing in his place, shaking his head, and glancing over his shoulder. "What are you still doing here? Get out! I can't keep this up much longer!"

Sally wanted to stay by his side, "But—"

"NOW!" But the hedgehog wasn't going to let her.

The girl nearly gasped at the ferocity in his voice and the underlying protectiveness in his tone. Goodness, sometimes that hedgehog got angry!

When she realized a few moments later that it was plain concern rather than burning rage in the hedgehog's voice, Sally took in a deep breath and nodded, her expression softening. There was nothing she could do to help him at the moment to help, for just by looking at, she saw—no, she _knew_—that she wouldn't have been able to aid him.

Even with Sonic's natural strength, with the extra power his body had built up with all his chaos arts training, with the unlimited energy that fueled his body in super form, he couldn't hold the hands there much longer. It seemed as he was hovering there, holding the hands in place, that the harder he pushed, the harder the bot pushed back. And no, it didn't seem as if it was Eggman's commands that caused the Eggxterminator's grip to tighten. It seemed as if, gradually, Sonic was losing energy. As if he was growing genuinely tired in his super form, like he was… like he was being…

"What's the matter, rodent?" Eggman laughed, Sonic merely gritting his teeth tighter together as a response. "Feeling a little drained?"

Drained.

Bot Sonic and Sally's eyes shot wide open as the word rung throughout their minds. Drained. _Drained. _Was he—?

The lack of concentration that had suddenly claimed Sonic, though short, was enough for Eggman's upper hand to be strengthened, a chortle ringing through the air in the process. "Say goodbye, hedgehog!"

Sonic gasped, his heart dropping, and his arms nearly collapsing under the Eggxterminator's power. Not good! "Crap, crap, crap—"

But before Eggman could squish the opponent he had so longer considered an "insect," Sally crashed full-force into the hedgehog, hurling both of them from the robot's clutches, a clap following as soon as they were home-free.

"Sal, I told you to leave!" Sonic exclaimed mid-spin, readjusting himself and Sally as quickly as possible. "Not to sit there and twiddle your thumbs!"

"I know!" Sally exclaimed, her eyes turning upwards just long enough to see the barrage of weapons being fired, "But I think I figured out why we can't actually damage the stupid thing!"

Sonic's eyes widened, "You too?"

She nodded, shrieking as she dashed off the left in a hasty attempt to avoid a round of bullets. "Yeah! I've just got to make sure I'm right! Give me one moment!"

"Sounds good to me!" Sonic exclaimed, flipping backwards and twirling around in a desperate attempt to keep himself being struck by the missiles that had locked on to him.

"Darn it!" Eggman shouted, firing the weapons at an even faster pace, the two nearly dancing by that point to keep themselves free from the assault. "Stay still, you pests!"

"Nicole!" Sally exclaimed, flipping backwards before twirling off to the left to avoid a particularly persistent missile. "Search the Eggxterminator for a power source! Some sort of a generator or something similar to a chaos emerald!"

"Searching, Sally!" Nicole shouted back, her voice as urgent as Sally's. "One moment!"

"Hurry!"

Nicole said nothing in reply, but Eggman yelled again. "Why can't you two stay down? It's bad enough that I can't take Sonic out, but having to deal with both of you at the same time is even more infuriating!"

"Stop your whining Eggman," Sonic shouted, leaping backwards. "Nobody even gives a crap!"

Eggman hissed in aggravation, "You little nuisance!" And began concentrating his fire-power on Sonic, sending every bullet, missile, and physical strike in Sonic's direction.

"Yeesh!" Sonic yelled, shooting off away form the Eggxterminator as fast as he could, missiles and bullets falling behind within moments. "Anger problems much?"

Eggman growled, "I don't have to—"

And Nicole cut in, causing both Sonic and Sally's attention to divert from the mad doctor. "No power source found, Sally!" The AI exclaimed, simultaneously frantic and excited. "There's no battery, no engine; nothing! I have absolutely no idea how it's still running! With how much energy it takes up, it should have run out of juice ages ago!"

Sally's eyes grew wide at Nicole's words, but Sonic's narrowed. "Just as I thought."

Before Sally could even open her mouth, before she could even think of the first thing to say, Sonic had scooped her up in his arms and flown her away from the Eggxterminator. "Whoa! What the heck, Sonic?" The hedgehog didn't speak. Instead, he continued to fly at top speed, cutting through the air, soaring away from the bot as if he was running away from the fight altogether.

"Hold on a second Sonic!" Sally yelled, "The Eggxterminator's still fully operational, we can't just leave!"

Though he didn't smile, his reply seemed absolutely giddy. "We aren't Sal, trust me."

"What? What do you mean?"

Sonic smiled a toothy grin, breaking abruptly and turning on the spot, releasing his grasp on Sally at the same time. "If he wants to use _our _chaos energy to power his ship," Sonic started, pulling up two fingers which were suddenly crackling with sparks. "Then we might as well let him have it, right?"

Sally's heart dropped, "Sonic, don't—"

"Chaos strike!"

A barrage of lightning, furious and blinding was hurled at the Eggxterminator, colliding with its right arm as Sally reached her arm out in a futile attempt to stop him. "Sonic, no!"

Sonic grinned and budged away from Sally, pointing his two fingers at the ship again, "Chaos strike!" sending numerous bolts crashing into the ship.

"Sonic, what are you doing?!"

"Chaos strike!" And another was released from his two fingers, "Strike!" and another, "Strike," and one more, "STRIKE!" until finally, Sonic threw a final, blazing series of bolts at the Eggxterminator.

"Sonic!" Sally shrieked, quite literally throwing herself at him, "Why are you—?"

The hedgehog, smiling and nearly laughing in anticipation, grabbed onto Sally's wrist, glancing at her for a fraction of a second before telling her, "You know the drill!"

Her eyes widened in shock, but just as "the drill" had gone every other time before, she didn't have the chance to protest. Within a mere second, the hedgehog had hurled her at the Eggxterminator full force, aimed at the arm he had been striking with lightning. Panic coursed through her body, but instinct took over, causing her to throw her arms out as if she was ready to tear through the metal. Why had that idiot done that? The moment she crashed into the Eggxterminator, she was going to be sent right back so fast, she was going to fall right back to Mobius!

She was ready to shriek, ready to scream, ready to tell the hedgehog how dumb he was, and only a matter of feet away from the Eggxterminator. Seriously, Sonic was so freaking stup—

Sally's heart nearly stopped the moment she collided with the metal, for when her body even barely touched it, it cringed, collapsed in on itself, and ripped.

It _ripped. _

And the arm was torn right off the bot.

The princess's mouth dropped open right then and there. How on…?

"Gotcha!" Her thoughts had only just started wandering when Sonic caught her and spun her around, a maniacal grin on his face as he spoke. "Wasn't that awesome?"

She was speechless, and all she could do at first was shake her head. "How did you…?"

Chuckling, Sonic folded his arms and stood up straight. "Not me, _us_. We cut it off before it could redistribute the energy to the rest of the bot. Don't you see? That's how it's been doing it!" Sally, wide-eyed at the intelligence the hedgehog was displaying, merely shook her head. Sonic sighed, still grinning despite the fact that for once, she couldn't keep up with his smart talk. "It absorbs the chaos energy that our attacks give off and spreads it throughout its body before we can cause any damage. That's why haven't been able to attack it! It's like we're punching a sponge or something!"

A sponge? Her brow knitting together at the odd simile, Sally hummed. "Then how did we just do that? That attack didn't exactly get—wait." She paused, the gears turning in her head and the thoughts suddenly connecting. "You said 'we cut it off' like it was rather significant. What do exactly do you mean by that?"

"The Eggxterminator has to redistribute the chaos energy it takes in if it absorbs too much, right?"

Sally nodded, "Right."

"In-between absorbing the chaos energy and the redistribution stage, the Eggxterminator is vulnerable. If we time it right and keep up our pace, we can tear the thing apart. We can cut it into such tiny pieces that when we fill it up with so much chaos energy there won't be anywhere else for the excess power to go. We can blow this thing up in style, Sal." Sonic finished, readjusting his position as the Eggxterminator (which had become incredibly still after losing an arm) began to move again. "We just need to do it fast, which actually—obviously—won't be a problem."

Raising her eyebrows and wearing a smirk, Sally let out a, "Ha," and shook her head. "Did I just hear Sonic the Hedgehog talk like he knew he was doing?"

Sonic laughed in return, rolling his eyes. "Sal, you obviously haven't realized that I've changed over the years. I've grown up, become a better person. I'm smarter and stronger, and you know what? That's just who I am."

"Oh really, Sonic?" Sally asked.

"Yeah really, Sal." Sonic told her, "I just keep getting better, changing for the best. But you know one thing that's never going to change?"

She merely grinned. "What?"

The hedgehog smiled that signature, toothy grin of his, laughing. "I'll always be the fastest thing alive."

They sent each other that one look—that silly little flirty grin—and at that moment, everyone knew it.

Eggman was going down.

"You… you miserable… LITTE RATS!" Eggman bellowed, his voice rising in greater ferocity and rage with every word. "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY MASTERPIECE?"

With the flick of a switch, every weapon on the Eggxterminator was loaded, ready to strike, and aimed at the two super beings. He was enraged and without any mercy, no longer willing to goof around. His invincible warrior had been crippled, and within the blink of an eye, two years of researching, planning, and building had been flushed down the toilet. Everything he had worked for… all for nothing.

"YOU WILL PAY!" The missiles took off, the bullets started firing, the lasers shot off, and the Eggxterminator started making its way towards the two. "I'M GOING TO RIP YOU BOTH APART!"

Sally yawned and stretched while Sonic merely rolled his eyes, smiling all the while. "I doubt that. Say goodbye to your little toy, Eggie!" Sonic said, both of them narrowing their eyes at the same time. "It was fun while it lasted!"

Without a single warning, the two took off in a flash of gold, swarming the Eggxterminator like starving flies. They orbited the bot wildly, flying around and above it without rhythm or reason, throwing out taunt after taunt as they laughed, their spirits sky-high and their moods blindingly bright.

"Yo, Eggman! It's a shame you wasted all that time on the Eggxterminator! Think of all the soap operas you missed out on!" Sonic shouted, sending a series of bolts and a wall of fire into the bot's right leg.

"Yeah!" Sally added, shooting the same leg with a series of lasers as she laughed. "And think of all the weight you could have lost too!"

Eggman released an angry screech, and Sonic laughed. "Ohh, good one Sal! Chaos STRIKE!"

The moment the bolts connected with the leg, Eggman simply growled, enraged beyond anything he could contain. "WORTHLESS VERMIN!"

"Aw, that's not very nice!" Sally teased.

"Yeah, don't say that!" Sonic said, pausing for just a moment to turn and shoot off towards the leg at full speed, "You shouldn't call yourself that," ripping violently through the metal like it was made of paper. "Even if it is true!"

Another angry cry was freed from the man, and the teens merely smiled at each other. Now that they had figured it out, it was all too easy!

"Get ready Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed, continuing his cycle of bother and blast along with Sally. "Just a few more hits, and this thing will be a goner!"

"Take a few pictures if you like," Sally added, "Because you won't even be able to recognize this thing when we're done!"

And true enough to their words, the bot gradually became less and less recognizable. With each cut through the metal, each slice through the bot's exterior, another limb was torn from its body, stolen to never be replaced again. The edges became sharp and jagged as time went on, as the missiles, lasers, and bullets ran dry, and as the Eggxterminator began to slow to a crawl. The energy that the remaining bot was absorbing was far too much for such a small region, and without anywhere to put the excess power, it was beginning to take its toll. Commands were no longer operating as programmed, the control room was beginning to spark, and to put it simply, the bot was simply starting to die. And no, there wasn't a thing Eggman could do about it.

"NO! THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE! THIS SIMPLY CAN'T BE!" He cried, pressing in commands madly, rage claiming him. "YOU WERE NOT MEANT TO WIN THIS TIME! THIS WAS _MY_ VICTORY!"

"Funny thing about how you're acting, Eggman," Sonic exclaimed, Sally shooting at the bot's shoulder before letting Sonic blast through it again. "It reminds me of a two year old who can't get his way!"

"Heck," Sally exclaimed, "Most two year olds are better behaved than you are! At least they know when to say please!"

Eggman screeched, shrieked, "YOU WILL REGRET THIS!"

And Sonic laughed. "I seriously doubt that. Ohh, what's this?"

All attention quickly whipped to where Sonic had stopped, where he had frozen just in front the Eggxterminator. He was floating before a large panel, a sheet of metal adorned with Eggman's insignia that had yet to shift once during the battle. "This looks important!"

"What?" Eggman spat, "Don't you even dare!"

Sonic grinned, grabbing onto the edge of the sheet. "I dare!"

So with one strong tug, one hearty pull, the metal was ripped from the body and thrown off to the side, revealing a large engine that was whizzing, whirling, and choking on itself. "Ah, so that's where it is! Mind coming on down here, Sal?"

"Gladly!" She shouted, by his side within a matter of seconds. "What next?" All the hedgehog had to do was look at the engine, and it all clicked in Sally's head.

"You ready to finish this, Sal?"

"As I'll ever be, Sonic."

The two grinned at each other, nodded, and jumped back, giving themselves enough room for the spectacular finale.

"Thanks for the party, Eggman! This sure was a blast!" Sonic yelled as he pulled his hand up in unison with Sally. "I haven't enjoyed a battle like this for way too long!"

Eggman snapped, "NO! NO, NOOO!"

The heroes laughed. "Thanks again!" And with that, the two furrowed their brow, took in a deep breath, and released their attacks in unison.

"LASER CANNON!"

"CHAOS STAR!"

A blast of bright blue from Sally and a flare of burning gold from Sonic shot forward, slammed into the engine, and sent the entire Eggxterminator into complete over-drive. Every warning blared within the ship, all the lights buzzed in their brightest intensities, and the whole thing shook as if an earthquake had claimed its body. There was no way for the energy to escape, nowhere to redistribute it, and no time to utilize it. The weapons were spent, the ship was in pieces, and the Eggxterminator had been _exterminated_.

And with one last sputter, one final wheeze, the ship gave up the ghost and the engine crackled, dying in a fiery explosion that licked away at most of the ship's remains.

It was done.

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"

The moment that those words reached the heroes, the two ended their barrage and flew back. They stopped to stare at the broken ship, at the shattered remains of their fine handy-work, smiles gradually taking over. It sunk in only after Sally released a surprised gasp, causing Sonic's attention to whip towards her within the blink of an eye.

"We actually did it." She whispered, her eyes wide and her heart racing as she faced Sonic. "We did it!"

Sonic grinned and nodded, "Yeah we did, Sal."

The girl simply widened her grin before laughing and throwing herself at Sonic, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That was amazing! I can't believe we did all that, Sonic! Oh, thank you!"

He laughed in reply, returning the tight hug. "No problem, Sal! No problem at all!"

Though the embrace was short, it was meaningful all the same. When the two pulled away, their spirits were sky-high and their smiles were brighter than the most vivid star.

"So what now, Sonic? We head back?" Sally eventually asked him, her tone only slightly calmer.

Sonic nodded, but looked back up to the cock-pit of the ship. "I need to take care of the rest of this thing first. I'm not even going to let him _think_ about salvaging anything."

"Really?" She glanced about, "What are you going to do it?"

The hedgehog grinned, his thumb pointed back as he proudly stuck out his chest. "I'm going to turn this thing into dust, Sally. Not even an inch of metal is going to be left over when I'm done with it. Plus," he said, glancing up to the wrecked ship once more before continuing. "I want to talk to the good old doctor. See how he's doing before I finish off his toy, you know?"

Sally nodded, but just as she opened her mouth, Sonic quickly added one last thing. "I want you to start heading out of here, Sal. Our super forms are going to run out soon, and I want to get back to Mobius before that happens. The moment I finish busting this thing up, we're out of here. Sound good?"

For a moment, Sally thought about going against his suggestion and staying with him, but when she considered the fact that he was probably right (as he had been before), she nodded again. "All right, I will. Just be careful, okay?"

He winked at her and stuck his tongue out, "Am I ever?" before taking off.

While she merely rolled her eyes, "Boys," and took off in the opposite direction.

It took less than a second for Sonic to reach the cock-pit, for him to hover just above its surface. He found himself smiling as he looked down at the room, Eggman yelling and shouting at Snively, Snively shouting back, and rage radiating from the place like heat. How funny it was to watch them duke it out! Honestly, it was!

If his super form wouldn't have been close to running dry, the hedgehog probably would have sat there for hours, just viewing the whole ordeal like it was some dramatic movie. Though given the fact that he didn't have much time left, he eventually sighed to himself, chuckling in the process.

"Yo Eggman!" Sonic shouted, causing the two to whip their heads in his direction, their glares sharp and dangerous. "Next time you try the impossible, why don't you go with something a little less expensive? How about just gargling a jar of peanut butter instead?"

The young man laughed at his own joke, but the genius below merely growled. "I promise you, Sonic this isn't even close to being—"

"Over?" Sonic spat, raising an eyebrow as he slowly pulled up his arm, golden sparks gathering around his right hand. "If you seriously think you still stand a chance, then you've _really_ knocked a few screws lose or something!" He told him, throwing his arm straight up into the air, the golden sparks forming a bright ball of chaos energy. "Because I'm not even going to let you keep the pieces this time, Eggie! Chaos SPEAR!"

The moment the words past his lips, the ball of light began to shudder, spark, and pulse. It was still for a few moments, almost completely silent as all eyes trailed to its form. What was it supposed to do? Had Sonic's chaos incantation failed? And speaking of which, why had the chaos spear turned into a—

Just as Eggman took a step forward, the ball hurled a spear of golden energy off into the distance and into one of the Eggxterminator's drifting arms, cutting the thing cleanly in half and causing Eggman to gasp at the same time.

"What?" He scowled, "How did—?"

"I told you, Eggman," Sonic proudly declared, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm not letting you keep the pieces. It's _over_. You can't hurt me because you just can't keep up."

The two simply stared at each other for several seconds, a growl gradually making its way up through the doctor's throat. "Fine. You've won. But do you know what?" He asked, his fingers intertwining behind his back. "I may not be able to lay a finger on you, but I have a little… _guest_ who won't be able to run away."

Sonic's cool attitude and calm expression melted the moment the words sunk in, his eyes widening in the process. "Guest?" Eggman said nothing, and Snively merely watched the two, his glare even cooler than his uncle's. "What do you mean by _guest_?"

Eggman sneered at Sonic, "Goodbye, hedgehog. Until next time." And with that, the panels of metal that the two had been standing descended, swallowing them up into the ground below them.

"Guest?" Sonic shouted again, reaching his right arm out in a futile attempt to go after him. "Do you have a _prisoner_ down there? What were thinking bringing someone onto this ship when we were—GAH!"

A sharp, loud pain suddenly flared across the hedgehog's right shoulder, a loud gasp freeing itself the moment the stinging made itself known. What the—? Gritting his teeth, Sonic's hand flew to his shoulder, his body cringing as he pain sunk in. What on Mobius had caused that? What had—

Sonic pulled his left hand away from his shoulder, his heart jumping when his gaze settled upon the crimson color that was adorning his palm.

Blood.

The hedgehog's breathing increased in speed, his heart quickening at the same time. What—what—what? Why was there blood? Why was he bleeding in his super form? That wasn't possible! It shouldn't have even been probable in a thousand years!

It took a few moments for the answer to sink it, but once it had, Sonic growled, anger seeping in.

"Stupid!" Sonic exclaimed, slapping himself on the forehead. "I'm such an idiot!"

_"So," Sonic started, his curiosity genuinely piqued. "What does a chaos spear do to someone in their super form? Since it acts as a neutralizer, does that mean that it—"_

_ "Whatever it hits stops being super." Shadow cut in, nodding to his pupil at the same time. "It cancels out the chaos energy and causes that one spot to go back to its regular form, and for awhile after that, no chaos energy can heal it either. It's an extremely effective way to cripple your enemy." _

_ The blue hedgehog's eyes widened and he swallowed, but he quickly replaced his shock with a smile and a nervous chuckled. "Then it's best to use it with caution?" _

_ Shadow nodded, folding his arms as he looked off to the side. "Indeed." _

Gritting his teeth, Sonic shook his head, his gaze washing over the graveyard of Egg Fleet ships that were beginning to be stormed by chaos spears. Oh, why hadn't it thought it all through? Why hadn't he stopped to think ahead of time for once in his life?

Clamping his hand over the injured shoulder yet again, Sonic growled through gritted teeth, "Sal's still out there." Before taking off at full speed.

* * *

><p>Adrenaline and rage was pumping through Eggman's heart as he ran down the sad remains of the Eggxterminator's hall, Snively close on his heel. Pure fury had filled his heart, unrivaled hatred towards the hedgehog had taken over, and an urge to rip his mustache right off his face had been begun to settle. How could he lose? After dedicating an entire two years to creating the most perfect creation he could ever even think of, how could he fail?<p>

Though the genius himself didn't have the answer, his nephew seemed to think that he did.

"You miserable old man!" Snively spat, his tone over-flowing with venom. "Did you honestly expect to win this fight after all these years? Did you really think you could do it?"

Eggman growled, his eyes settling upon the entrance to the one escape pod on the entire ship. "I only miscalculated slightly. I didn't expect the princess to come along as well."

Snively's eyes grew wide, and he snarled. "You didn't even stop to consider the possibility of there being more than one super being fighting at once?"

"Next time," Eggman whispered under his breath, brushing off Snively's accusation as he reached the doorway and punched in the code. "I'll have that hedgehog beat! He won't even be able to stand on his own two legs!"

Snively hissed as the doors slid open, "You're a fool."

And the Robian standing within the pod, arms folded, simply shook his head at the two as soon as their eyes settled upon him. "Let me guess. My son and the princess beat you without a problem?"

Eggman sneered at Robain, shoving Snively inside. He followed after him in silence, a glare that could have vaporized a planet adorning his face.

"Soon, hedgehog. Soon."

* * *

><p>For Sonic, it was something he did practically every day. Dodging life-threatening blasts from weapons that could have killed him the moment they touched his skin? Sure, it was a normal occurrence, practically a hobby by that point in his life! He had been running from Eggman's Swatbots since childhood, been doing it all so much that it was second nature to him by age ten. It was something that he could have done with his eyes closed if he felt like it. Heck, it was something that he <em>had <em>done with his eyes closed! To Sonic, it just wasn't that big of a deal…

But to Sally?

She might as well have been pushed into a mine-field with a blind fold, and Sonic knew that for a fact. It was that knowledge alone that pushed Sonic to soar, to fly at the blinding speed he was moving. That, and the fact that even the idea of losing her made him want to gag. A life without Sal? She had been around since before he could remember, since before his baby teeth had even grown in completely. If she was just to disappear, to _die_… the hedgehog simply couldn't comprehend, nor did he want to.

No, there was no way he would let her get hurt. No way on the face of Mobius.

"SAL!" Sonic shouted, bursting through the dead ships in a desperate attempt to find a mere glimpse of her. "SAL, WHERE ARE YOU?"

No voice replied, no words reached him. Growling, Sonic gritted his teeth and shook his head, tightening the grip on his shoulder in the process. Where was she, darn it? Had she already made it back to the surface, had she been caught up in the fire?

"SAL!" Sonic cried out, freezing in spot to glance around. "SAL!"

From the corner of his eye, he could see the ball of chaos energy hurling out spears in every direction, ripping apart everything in its path. The Eggxterminator was drifting just below it, spears tearing through its ghost of a body, dead other than the occasional spark that washed over its shell. It was completely still, and for a moment, it made Sonic curious. Had Eggman and Snively escaped?

Just as the question was born, Sonic noticed a flash of red, yellow, and gray explode from just below the cock-pit, just out of the corner of his eye. His attention whipped towards it the moment it took off, his eyebrows raising when his gaze settled upon it.

From the one window, he could see—to his surprise—Eggman staring, eyes cold, sharp, and unforgiving. His arms were folded across his chest and his body was frozen rigid, and besides him, Snively wore a similar expression. They both were fuming in their disgust, but on Eggman's other side was a figure that stood proud and tall. It was partially hidden behind the man, but just from the small glimpse Sonic had gained, he could tell that it was blue.

Blue?

The hedgehog's curiosity flared new again, but before he could wander too far, a firework of red, yellow, and orange burst behind him. It snapped his mind back into the chaos, threw him straight into the fire once again. What was he doing? Why was he just standing there? He had to find Sally! He had to get her out of there!

Turning away from the escape pod that was hurtling downwards, Sonic growled. "SAL! WHERE ARE YOU? SALLY!"

He took off again, his eyes washing over every ship, every piece of metal that was drifting in the graveyard. There were Eggman insignias drifting, pieces of cannons and other weapons, shards of glass, several Swatbots and Eggbots that were flailing their arms (along with one odd bot that kept crying out, "EXTERMINATE!" over and over), but not one single hint of gold.

The girl was nowhere to be found, and a hint of fear began to flare within the hedgehog. He didn't want… he couldn't lose her. Oh, where was she? As he flew, as he dashed through the air, awful images began to fill his head. Bitter, heart-wrenching images. Ideas and thoughts that were the very stuff of nightmares, the very things that had been plaguing his dreams as of late. Things that he simply couldn't allow to become a reality.

Clamping his eyes shut in frustration, Sonic cried out in the loudest voice he could muster, "SALLY!" opening his eyes only to have a gold figure off in the distance instantly grace his vision.

It was… yes! Yes, oh yes, oh yes, yes, yes! It was her!

Sal!

A smile unlike any other, a jubilation that couldn't be contained claimed him, and he found himself laughing. He had found her, he had located her just in time! She was safe, floating next to a large wall of metal, her eyes shifting like mad in an attempt to fide her hero. Not a scratch was on her body, not a hair out place, Sally was really safe!

Both his flying and his heart increasing in speed, Sonic grinned, laughter still echoing. "Sal!" He yelled as he flew and waved his uninjured arm at her, causing her to turn towards him within an instant. "It's time to go! Let's head out!"

The moment the girl's gaze found him, a smile unlike any other graced her lips. She stood up straight, her face lit up, she opened her mouth as if to say his name, and from the corner of Sonic's eye, he could see a spear heading right towards her. She was safe, she was sound, and she was—

Done for.

The hedgehog's heart stopped the moment the spear clicked in his mind.

No.

No, no, no, no, NO! Not her, not Sal, anyone but Sal!

The girl's eyes snapped towards the spear suddenly, and all at once, fear took her.

There was no time to stop it, no time to move her out of the way, and no power to even _stop _time. She was doomed, she was done for, she was dead, and she was—

Two words slipped past Sonic's lips before he even knew what he was doing.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

He disappeared with a flash, and for an entire moment, Sally's heart nearly stopped working as well. What—what—what—

And suddenly, he was only a foot in front of her, his eyes wide and—

"UGH—"

A chaos spear was sticking out of his chest, held tight by his hands, sparking with energy.

Through… his… chest.

It seemed as if, right then and there, the world stopped spinning and every mortal held their breath. Both of the golden figures were frozen, panting, their eyes wide open in shock and locked on one another. So fast, it had happened nearly _too fast_, and…

Pain, unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.

Sharp, icy, burning pain, causing his eyes to stay wide long after the spear had struck him. Pain that blazed with every heart beat, every breath he took. Unexplainable, incomprehensible hurting. Stinging, aching, burning…

A gasp slipped past the hedgehog's lips the moment the first wave washed over him, the moment it swallowed him whole. His eyes widened, his heart started beating faster, and to his own horror, he started shaking. Trembling and shuttering and quivering so horribly that he could barely breathe.

_ It hurt… _

Broken, shallow breathes were all that he could take in, all he could swallow as his heart raced far ahead.

_It hurt…_

His head, his gaze moved gradually downwards to where Sally's eyes had drifted.

_It hurt… _

And his heart nearly stopped beating altogether.

Red. Crimson. Scarlet. _Blood. _Blood was seeping from the wound, soaking his golden fur, staining that which wasn't supposed to be tarnished. Sealing his fate.

_Of course. _

All at once, everything hit the hedgehog in full. A gasp, a cry of pain freed itself from his throat, and his eyes clamped shut as his head fell downwards. His body was rigid, cringing, holding on to any strength left in his body. He was grasping to anything that would keep him from totally losing it, keep him from descending into the blackness that would come to claim him.

That was coming to claim him.

_It hurts… darn it, it hurts! _

His throat started to burn and his form shuddered as if he was freezing.

_It hurts… but… _

But he swallowed back the pain, bit back on it as much as he could as he looked up at her.

_I can't let Sal worry. _

He shot her the brightest smile he could possibly muster, the most magnificent grin he had ever performed and looked her in the eye, her expression becoming horrified when his eyes met hers.

"I…I'm sorry, Sal…"

And he was smiling, grinning like he always did, almost convincing the world that he was fine…

"I guess… I just wasn't fast enough."

But the tears streaming down his cheeks were what broke his mask.

Horror claimed the girl and she rapidly shook her head, opening her mouth in an attempt to speak. "Son—"

Sonic merely widened his grin, shaking his head in return to stop her. "I'm sorry." He whispered, tightening and twisting his grasp on the spear, gritting his teeth through the aching, and causing the energy to dissipate with one last act, his head starting to spin.

His heart… was…

"I'm…" His eyelids became heavy, "So…" his heart tightened, "Sorry…" And all at once, his body stopped doing as he demanded and it collapsed, fell forward into Sally's outstretched arms.

"Sonic…"

He started drifting…

"Sonic?"

And he began to fall.

"SONIC!"

* * *

><p>Sonic, no! D: Nooooooooo! The final battle is won and the bot is beat, but is the cost worth it? This is one of my favorite chapters so far. :) And oh, cliff-hangers...<p>

And this chapter has OVER 9,000 words! Sorry, I just had to. XD I also updated the summary, if you guys didn't notice. :) I hope you guys like it! I'm also working on a new cover for the story too...

Thanks to brave kid, Thomas Holmes II, Sesshomarusama3, alwaysdoubted, and Parker117 for the reviews! :D Thanks to all the new favorites and follows, and thank you to all my silent readers! XD It means a lot to me!

Until next time! :D


	31. Always Have, Always Will

** Chapter 31: Always Have, Always Will **

Sally could remember, with crystal clarity, every single word Shadow the Hedgehog told her the day she had met him, a little more than a year ago. The event still fresh in her mind, Sally recalled every single remark as if it was only yesterday, like it had happened only moments ago.

She remembered that the moment Shadow defeated the bot and set her on the ground, the black hedgehog had simply stared at her in surprise. It was as if he couldn't even comprehend that she was real to begin with! For some reason, he waited until she was halfway into her thank-you to speak and share what had been on his mind, and once he had, it sent her head spinning.

_"So you're that girl." He pondered aloud, cutting through her words and causing her body to freeze at the same time._

_ "W-what girl?" She asked, a bit afraid for some reason to learn of his answer._

_ His head tilted ever so slightly to the side, both from curiosity and amusement at the girl's words. "You don't know?" Sally shook her head in response, and the black hedgehog folded his arms and closed his eyes, a bit disappointed for some reason. "What a shame."_

_ An expression of confusion taking over, Sally glanced back once at Bunnie, who was covered in cuts and bruises. Her friend shrugged in reply to her look, so Sally simply turned back to face the young man who had saved her. _

_ "So, um… who exactly am I supposed to be?" She questioned after a few moments of silence, her gaze fixated on the black and red hedgehog. "Because I'm a bit clueless right—"_

_ "The one that Sonic's always thinking about." _

_ "…now…" _

_Sonic. _

_ The word—his name—ripped right through her being, nearly tore her in half at that very moment. Sonic? The Sonic the Hedgehog? Thinking about her? For a single moment, one shining second, Sally allowed herself to really hope. She believed that maybe, just maybe, Sonic still cared about her despite everything that happened. Despite the slap and all the yelling and… oh. No. No, no, no. _

_ Slowly, Sally shook her head, her gaze transforming into a blank expression lined with a minute hint of sadness. "That's impossible. Sonic doesn't care about me."_

_ He opened his eyes, his gaze instantly meeting hers in the process. "Is that so?" Sally nodded, quiet and thoughtful as Shadow smirked. "I don't believe that." _

_ Sally growled, and she nearly snapped at him right then and there. Did he honestly think he knew better than her? Did he even have the faintest idea of what had gone on between the both of them? The tiny bit of anger that had taken her died as swiftly as it had been born, causing her to sigh as her gaze became distant once more. "Just because he thinks about me doesn't mean he cares." _

_He raised an eyebrow, as if to challenge her response. "What makes you believe that, princess?" _

_ "Just…" she whispered, swallowing once before she spoke. "Because he doesn't. He doesn't care about me, and I know for a fact that he never will again. Maybe he did at one point, maybe he even… even loved me… but now… how could he care for me after everything I said to him, after everything I did to him? After everything I ruined?"_

_ At first, he simply looked at her as if he was pondering upon her words, upon her stand when it came to his claim. Did he agree with her opinion, did he think otherwise, did he even actually care about the situation at all? Standing up straight, Shadow chuckled and shook his head. _

_ "I have a feeling that that hedgehog is really going to surprise you one day. He's going to prove that he really does care about you, and you know what? There's no way you're going to miss it, and that much I can guarantee."_

_Skeptical, Sally took in a deep breath and folded her arms. "How, exactly?"_

"_You'll know it when you see it, princess." Shadow stated confidently. "You just will." _

At that very moment as she hovered in her place, her back still against the wall, Sally's eyes grew wide. Everything hit her in full all at once, and she suddenly realized that Shadow had been right. He had been one hundred percent accurate in his prediction, completely and totally correct in every conceivable way, but in the very worst way possible.

"SONIC!" Sally shrieked, her arms held tight around the golden hedgehog that had collapsed into her grasp. "SONIC? SONIC, ANSWER ME!"

The young man didn't respond right away, or even with a single spoken word. Though he attempted to raise his head and open his mouth to speak, he found himself plagued with coughs that rattled his entire body the moment he budged. Raspy, broken hacking that made Sally's heart skip a beat, nearly stop altogether. Was—what—how? Ever so carefully, Sally moved off to the side, one arm around his waist as she watched him.

His right fist was up by his mouth within a heartbeat, his eyes clamped shut as he coughed and sputtered for proper breath. He was in that position for several seconds, cringing every time he coughed, bitter tears running down his cheeks. How bad was it? How—?

Sally's thoughts barely even began to wander when Sonic pulled his hand away, causing her heart to skip another million beats. The same red that was seeping from his chest was also adorning his fingers and palm, dripping from the corner of his lips as the hedgehog stared at his hand. He looked neither shocked nor scared at the sight of it, but blank, as if he had been expecting it. As if he had known that something was terribly wrong.

"Oh my gosh." Sally gasped, shaking her head viciously. "You're—"

Before the next syllable could even pass her lips, before it could even form on her tongue, another sharp cough forced itself up Sonic's throat. It shook the hedgehog's body, harvested a fresh batch of tears in his eyes, and caused dread to flare anew within Sally.

What on all of Mobius was she supposed to do? Sonic—the fastest thing alive, the Blue Blur, the Hero of Mobius himself, the young man she loved—had just taken a chaos spear for her. He was bleeding, shaking, and coughing up scarlet in his super form, in the one form he was supposed to be untouchable in. He was so weak that he couldn't speak, couldn't even move without being consumed by pain. All at once his life was hanging by a thread that was supporting a million pounds, and Sally didn't have the slightest idea of how to lift the load. How was she to stop the bleeding? The shaking, the coughing?

Another series of sharp coughs tore themselves through Sonic's body, causing Sally's heart to take off again. Oh, she didn't have time to sit there! Sonic was dying and she was seriously trying to strategize? No! She couldn't fall back on that habit, not right then! Sonic was depending on her, his very life was in her hands. She couldn't let him die!

"We need to get back to Mobius," Sally stuttered, her gaze and voice filled with fear despite her resolve. "And find help; fast." She said, turning her gaze to Sonic yet again. A twinge of something deeper and sharper than guilt ripped through her when she looked at his shaking body, when the tears running down his cheeks sunk in. She had never seen him so… so fragile. Never in her seventeen years of living, in her seventeen years of knowing him had she even thought of him being in such a sorry state. Never.

Swallowing back the burning that had cut itself into her throat, Sally nodded. "Come on, Sonic," She began, carefully scooping the hedgehog up in her arms, who didn't even try to fight against it. "It's my turn to save you."

The hedgehog said nothing to her, but his gaze met hers. It was glazed over and exhausted, barely even alive, but it held just enough strength to push her onwards. There was a tiny flame burning in his eyes, just enough light left for her to go. Even with his ragged breaths, the shaking, the coughs, and the blood soaking his fur, there was still _something_, and that was all that mattered.

Before a single chaos spear could crash into another one of the Egg Fleet ships, Sally shot off, her brow knit together and Sonic held close. She had to get out of there before another spear came close, before the whole place went up in flames, before their super forms died off. But most off all, she had to get to safety before Sonic—

No, she wasn't going to think about it, she wasn't even going to entertain the thought. There was no way on the face of Mobius that she was going to lose him, not ever, not again. She cared for him far too much for that to happen. She loved him too much to let him slip away.

"Nicole," Sally ordered without a second thought, weaving in-between the scraps of metal and shards of broken glass, "Scan Sonic's body. Find out what's wrong and do it fast!"

"Right!" Nicole exclaimed. "I'm on it!"

Sally nodded swiftly in response, her eyes flicking from object to object so quickly that she could barely even keep up with everything she was seeing. Even after the Egg Fleet had been destroyed, rampant chaos still claimed the ships. There were spears exploding from every direction, crashing and ripping through the remaining red and yellow metal like it was child's play. Some of them, when they made contacted with the pieces, burst into an explosion of yellow, red, and orange, greedily swallowing every surrounding piece of metal as a result.

All of the utter pandemonium left absolutely no room for mistakes. She simply had to keep going, had to keep moving no matter what. She had to get Sonic back to Mobius, she had to find help, she had to save him. There was no way that she was going to let him die, no way on the face of Mobius!

"Scan complete, Sally." And yet, at the sound of Nicole's voice, grim and filled with horror, an undeniable shiver was sent down Sally's spine. "It's… it's really bad."

The girl swallowed, her heart having dropped at the unfortunate news. Was it really as awful as she was fearing? Or was it ever worse than she had imagined? "Tell me what's wrong." She requested once her thoughts reconnected, doing her best not to sound too panicked. "Don't leave anything out. I want a full, detailed report. Do _not _sugar coat it."

A moment of hesitance, perhaps in a last moment effort to be kind, was the AI's initial reply to Sally's request. "Please, Nicole!" But the moment the fear in Sally's tone returned in full and became clearly apparent, Nicole gave up her attempted act of gentleness and relayed the cold, hard facts.

"His heart has been punctured and it's still beating at super-sonic speed. He's bleeding out, and a lot of the blood is leaking into his lung, which was also punctured. He's drowning." Nicole stated, doing her very best to keep her tone neutral. "His super form is the only thing that's keeping him alive. Once he reverts back to normal, he won't be able to make it on his own. He… he won't even last a second."

"So," Sally whispered, a lump forming in her throat, pure terror taking hold. "We've got no time to waste."

"None whatsoever. He's… Sally, he's practically a goner."

Taking in a deep breath, Sally nodded, closing her eyes for a single moment as her friend's words washed over her. She had to do this. She simply couldn't afford to lose him. Not again, not ever.

Sally didn't even have the chance to take in another breath before she shot off. Even Nicole couldn't properly process what exactly was happening. The princess was twisting and turning between every slab of metal at such a pace that her head nearly started spinning. Her breathing quickened and her heartbeat picked up a tempo that could have easily qualified as a heart-attack under any other circumstances.

The severity of the situation, slowly but surely, finally began to sink in as she flew onward, as her mind raced far ahead of her body. Her body started shaking, quivering in horror of the thoughts that had taken her. What if she didn't make it in time? What if she was too late? The princess allowed her mind to roam free, fighting to keep the dark daydreams at bay, her heart taking control so that for one single second, everything was alright.

She imagined it all so perfectly in her head: she could see herself landing in the hospital as their super forms died out, just in the nick of time. She was shaky and scared, but still grasping the hero who was barely holding on.

She could feel the tiny hint of hope flare as she watched them take him down the hallway on a stretcher, as they connected wire upon wire into his body.

She envisioned herself sitting in the waiting room for hours, rocking herself back and forth in the chair, her body quivering and shivering in anticipation and hope until finally, they let her into his room.

And she'd see him, his smile soft and weary, and it would have all been worth it. _._

Because for once, she would have saved him. For once, she would have been able to pay him back and give him what he had gifted her so many times before: a chance to live another day. A chance to smile again as he ran outside, fell back onto the grass, and bask in the sun while he told her silly stories that may or may not have been true.

A chance to promise him forever…

…and give him the whole world.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the spear streak across her vision. By the time the light bulb went off in her head, though, it was already far too late.

Before she could even blink twice, the chaos spear ripped through the metal off to the right, igniting in unison with the electricity pulsing through its hull. A burst of orange flames exploded, hurling fire, sparks, and metal off into every direction—and one into the back of Sally's head, cracking the glass helmet and causing her head to smack against it.

Pain boomed in the form of blackness, while the blast sent her off, downwards, spinning faster and faster until all at once, her grasp on the hedgehog died. Her heart skipped a beat the moment she could no longer feel him close, and a cry slipped past her lips. "Son—" Her shout barely managed to carry within the flames, and the disorientation and darkness only caused her head to pound.

_You've—you've got to be kidding me! _

She clamped her eyes shut for a few moments in an attempt to alleviate the pain and wait for the blast to die off, but to no avail. The princess simply continued spinning, fire and metal colliding with her over and over, causing her to twirl faster with every moment.

_No, no, no, stop it! I have to get Sonic back to Mobius! I have to—_

Another force, maybe metal, perhaps another blast, crashed into the back of Sally's head. An explosion of stars on a backdrop of darkness caused her to gasp out loud. The ringing in her ears intensified into a drumming, and the flames deepened into an inferno.

In her desperation, Sally opened her eyes, frustration and pain leading strong. She saw metal being flung around like mad, red and orange and yellow plumes of fire exploding every other second, and chaos spears ripping through everything and anything in its path. Her vision blurred as she searched desperately for the golden hedgehog she was sure she'd never find.

It was by pure luck that she saw him hurtling towards Mobius at a break-neck speed. A loud and broken cry clawed its way out of Sally's throat when her gaze settled upon him. Yet as soon as she started flying towards him, her cry escalated into a scream of shock; another blast sending her forward before she could even think of what she was supposed to do next.

She was sent forward, this time towards Sonic, spinning at such a rate that everything blurred together. Her eyes were closed for a fraction of second, her breath held tight in the back of her throat, her body stiffening as she waited for—well, anything. When was this game of life-size pinball going to end? She couldn't do this anymore, she just couldn't!

After what must have been an eternity and a half, Sally opened her eyes again, her gaze instantly settling on the golden hedgehog below her. There was no longer any metal surrounding her or her hero, and the flames from the explosions were, at last, behind them. Their only companion was the pull of the planet's gravity.

Sally's heart fluttered and sped up at the sight of him. Ever so quietly, as if her actions had the capability to break him like glass, Sally reached her hand out towards him.

But it came as no surprise to her when the quiet hope that had budded was tromped upon before it even had the chance to blossom. The golden color adorning her body had been gradually fading throughout her flight back to Mobius, but now as she reached out towards him, she was finally able to see how close she really was to reverting to her normal state.

A glimmer of light was slowly crawling up her arm, sending a shiver through her body when she realized that it was nearly to her elbow, having already reclaimed her left hand back to its regular brown-furred state. No! She couldn't revert back, not yet!

She hadn't recovered Sonic, she hadn't even had the chance to break through the atmosphere itself. How was she going to make it to Mobius in time? How was she going to survive the fall without the support of her super form? Would her body last long enough through the atmosphere for that to matter? Within the surge of fear and horror that plagued Sally's mind and body, the girl noticed a similar wave of light traveling up Sonic's legs that caused her train of thought to brake to an immediate stop.

If his transformation died off before Sally got him to a hospital…

Struggling to hold back the instability fueled by her adrenaline, the princess gritted her teeth together and fought harder, if that was even possible by that point. The final reserve of energy that she had been saving for so long was suddenly the only thing that kept her going.

Her heart was racing, her mind was spinning, her stomach was doing back-flips, and to be quite honest, the princess believed that she wasn't going to reach him in time. But all at once, she suddenly realized how much she didn't want it to happen. Within the fraction of a single second, in-between the blinks of an eye, Sally understood why it had scared her so much, back when she had slapped Sonic; why the thought of losing Sonic terrified her so much.

The reality of what his death would mean for Mobius, for his friends, for his family, and for Sally herself struck her harder than any of the metal or fire that had tossed her about like a rag doll only moments before. So releasing one final and frustrated screech, Sally flung herself forward, wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and pulled Sonic close to her, tightening her grip on the young man before she let out a single screech.

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

The world went white the moment the words erupted from her throat, prompting a flare of pain to explode within Sally's body. The princess clamped her eyes shut and tightened her grasp on the hedgehog once more in response, hoping that maybe, just maybe, things would actually go right.

For a long time, there was no sound other than the buzzing of her thoughts and the drumming of her heart. Her entire form stiffened up, her heart beat faster, and her breathing paused altogether. For a fraction of a second, the girl believed that she had failed. Then, without giving her a proper warning, Sally could feel a gentle breeze brushing across her fur and rushing into her ears.

Opening her eyes, Sally released a short gasp and fell to the ground with a thump, the hedgehog still in arm's grasp. Where were they? Were they near a hospital? Were they even remotely close to any civilization at all? Her head spinning and pounding like a rapid bass drum, Sally glanced around. She was surrounded by a clear blue sky and fresh, long green grass. She was crowded by wild-life and plants so beautiful that they nearly convinced her that nothing was wrong, and that it was the perfect weather to sit back and enjoy a long nap in the sun.

"Nicole!" Sally exclaimed, adjusting her position and her hold on the hedgehog, whose head was resting gently in the crook of her arm. "Where are we? How close are we to the nearest city?"

The princess was surprised when her friend's voice resonated from her left wrist, where Sally realized a wrist-watch was now resting, but she quickly put that information in the back of her mind. "Let me check."

The silence that followed Nicole's words didn't last long, but it felt like an eternity all the same. Once it was broken, however, Sally found herself wishing it had never ended instead. "Sally, I'm so sorry. The closest town is ten miles away from here. There's no way we can get him there in time."

Sally's breathing, already ragged and shallow, broke at the cruel truth. "No." She whispered, shaking her head as she looked down at her hero. "No, no, no, no, no. Sonic's not—" Her heart froze at the sight of him. "Not going to die." And it ripped itself into tiny little pieces right then and there.

Blood was still flowing from the wound on Sonic's chest, but it had slowed to a gentle leak, to a feeble trickle. His breathing—if that broken and weak, up and down movement of his torso could have been called that—was shallow and ragged, and it was slowing with every second. Crimson stained his limp body and left his face a pale ghost of what it had been when he had charged into battle. The hedgehog's eyes were closed tenderly, and a blank, almost nonexistent expression rested upon his face.

"Sonic." Sally cried, shaking her head. "Sonic, please, just hang in there a little longer. We can—we can do something!" She exclaimed, her gaze tossing about wildly. "Right, Nicole? Can't you use your nanites to patch him up temporarily and stop the bleeding?"

The AI was hesitant to respond. "I could close the wound, but I—" Nicole sighed, "There's no way I can repair the damage done to his heart and lung. He's lost too much blood, Sally."

Something deeper and darker than despair made its way into Sally's being in that very moment, and it forced her voice out in a lash of anger and fear. "Well try _something!_ We can't let him sit here and die!" She yelled, her voice strained and cracking, hoarse and well-spent. "We just can't! Mobius still needs him, and so does Tails and his parents! And there's also Muttski and Sir Charles, and all of the other Freedom Fighters. What on Mobius are they going to do without him? And-and-and—" She sputtered, taking in a single deep breath and running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself.

"What am I going to do without him, Nicole? What am I supposed to about all of those things we planned together? I can't do any of it without him. We were going to free the Freedom Fighters and find our families. We were going to track down Geoffrey and fight Eggman together and keep each other safe. He was here to stay!"

Sally's gaze trailed back down to Sonic in the silence that followed. His expression remained unchanged, and his face sustained its white-as-fresh-snow hue. The blood remained mangled in his fur, and it continued to steadily seep out and soak his body. His breathes retained their quiet nature, mere sad reflections of his former self until very quietly and oh so gradually, Sonic took in a breath that wasn't followed by another.

The princess was silent as she watched and waited, but it was only until the gentle nudge of the wind shuffled her hair did she realize what had happened.

"Sonic? Sonic?" He was still, and Sally's heart tightened. "Sonic? Sonic, answer me! Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog! Don't—don't go! Stay with me, please don't leave!" She pleaded, her words crumbling apart into incoherency. "Sonic, please. Please don't… don't leave me… I'm not… I don't want… you can't just… go…"

The princess, completely defeated in both mind and body, lowered her head and cried.

He was gone.

Ever so carefully, Sally readjusted her grasp on the hedgehog and pulled him closer, embracing him in a long and unrequited hug. She held him there for what must have been forever, tears staining her cheeks and sobs shaking her body so badly that eventually, she began to gag. Her throat was sore, and it even started to burn after a time. And yet, it was only the voice of her friend that was able to bring her crying to a halt.

"Sally…" Nicole uttered. "Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?"

The princess shook her head, swallowing before she took in a deep gulp of air in an attempt to regularize her breathing. "No, Nicole." She stated, freeing her right hand so she could wipe her eyes. "There isn't."

Nicole, just as heart-broken as her dear friend, didn't respond. In return, Sally didn't add anything else to their conversation. Instead, she simply pulled her hand away from her face, exhaling heavily before she opened her eyes and looked around once more, tears still streaming down her face, sobs still causing her body to quake.

What was she supposed to do?

How was she going to repair Knothole? How was she going to rescue everyone and find her family? What was she going to tell Sonic's family when she found them? And… how was she going to wake up every morning knowing that she'd never see that smile of his again? Or hear one of those awful jokes, or that wonderful laugh, or just be able to wrap her arms around him and feel safe… how did she expect to be able to do that?

How was she supposed to keep going without him?

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sally turned off to the side once again, cringing in both annoyance and surprise when a flash of light met her gaze. Of all the days for such nuisances, of all the times it could have been, did today just _have _to be the day where she went blind? Knowing Sally's luck, the source of the light was probably from some lone piece of broken glass, or from some cruel on-looker who had decided to mess with her.

As she readjusted her position, Sally began to glance around in an attempt to find the light's source. She didn't expect to have much luck locating it, given the fact that the grass it was hiding in was so long, so she was more than surprised when her eyes settled upon a large and familiar blue gem. Was… was that…?

Stealing a moment to glance down at Sonic, Sally sniffled, glanced back at the gem, and took in a deep and shaky breath. Delicately, she nudged the hedgehog away from her, placing his head on the grass slowly before wiping another batch of tears. Once her vision was clear, she stood up and moseyed toward the jewel.

It took a matter of seconds for her to reach the jewel, scoop it up, and examine it. And as she had hoped, she discovered that, indeed, it was a chaos emerald that had been bothering her mere moments ago. A chaos emerald, of all things. What an incredible streak of luck it was for the chaos emerald to land right next to them after a super transformation. _Or rather, what bittersweet luck. _Sally thought, her heart shriveling while she turned back. _Luck that's too little and too late. _

Each footstep heavier than the last, Sally made her way back next to Sonic. Once by his side, she fell to her knees, throat burning as she looked at him. Her mind was buzzing, yet blank as she tried to think of something, something she could do, something she neededto do. Where was she supposed to go, who was she supposed to talk to next? Was she supposed to just go back to Knothole, or wander around and find everyone?

"Sally," Nicole spoke up, causing Sally to jump. "We can't just leave his body like this. We need to do something about it."

It. She was already speaking as if he was… oh. "What?"

"I… I'm not really sure, to be honest." Nicole sighed, a sob cracking though her voice, causing another well of pain to surge within the princess. "In fact, I actually really don't know, Sally. I don't. I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry."

The sounds of her friend's voice sent another crack through the fragments that was Sally's heart. More tears flooded over, and another sob managed to choke the girl before she spoke. "It's not your fault, Nicole. I promise. And you're right. We do need to do something. And…" She wandered aloud, observing the chaos emerald in her grasp. "I… I actually have an idea."

"Are you going and try to use the chaos emerald?"

Sally nodded, her nerves flaring as she pulled the gem up. "Yes. I think… if I was able to use chaos control while we—while I was in super form, then maybe it's possible for me to do it again."

Nicole contemplated her friend's word and spoke, her voice still gloomy, but slightly lighter. "Do you know what you're doing? I mean, do you know how to do whatever it is you're trying to do?"

The princess inhaled and shook her head. "No. I've never really tried anything with chaos energy before, other than my super transformation. But it shouldn't be too hard. It's not going to be anything special."

"Alright, then. Just be careful, okay?"

She nodded again, "Okay." And with that Sally closed her eyes and cried out with a clear image in her mind, "Chaos control!"

Pain, similar to the aching that flared when she cast her first chaos control, jumbled around in the back of her head. A migraine on maximum over-drive, a meltdown too hot for her to handle produced sweat on her brow and forced a gasp of pain to slip past her lips. It was sharp and fierce and far too quick, and it was so much stronger than the hurting that had accompanied her the first time.

Without her super form to counter-act it, it felt like thousands of needles were jabbing themselves up along her spine over and over. It was awful and it hurt and she wanted it to stop, but she wasn't going to give in. No, she wasn't going to give up that easily. She was going to be strong. She owed Sonic this much, and of that she was sure.

It felt like years had passed when the chaos incantation finished. A surge of energy pulsed through the air upon completion, and though the headache from Hades still drummed on within Sally's head, the wave supplied relief to a majority the pain. Once she had allowed herself enough time to soak in the coolness that the energy had gifted her with, Sally opened her eyes to examine what she had done.

The blood adorning Sonic's body had been washed away through the power of the incantation, with his fur becoming untangled in the process. His cheeks, though still more pale than usual, had a fraction of their rosy color restored. And though a light scar was visible within his fluff of chest fur, the wound resting just above his heart had sealed up.

"Sally…" Nicole whispered in awe of her friend's work. "You…"

"I closed up the wound and repaired the damage to his heart and lung. He's… he's not going to need it, but I just thought… if people are ever going to stumble upon him, then he deserves to look his best."

"Stumble upon them?"

Sally nodded, allowing Nicole to store the emerald away while Sally rubbed away a coat of tear before rubbing her head. "The spell also will keep him from aging. It will keep his body from aging, I mean." Sally explained. "If someone were to come across his body months from now, he'd still look the same then as he does now."

"That's incredible, Sally." Nicole supposed, "But what if someone were to try and move him?"

"They wouldn't be able to even touch him." Sally exhaled. "No one can touch him except for me."

"I… I see."

Sally sniffed. "Yeah." And all around her, the wind blew.

"Sonic…" Sally uttered, "I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you in time. If I had been faster, you'd be okay. You'd… you'd be alive if it wasn't for me. I'm sorry, Sonic." She muttered, holding the tears and the sobs back with a choke of her own design. "I really am sorry."

He didn't respond, didn't speak, and didn't move. Lightly, Sally leaned forward, bestowing a single last kiss to his forehead. "I love you, Sonic the Hedgehog. Always have, always will." And then, without another word, the princess stood up and turned away from him.

She was done.

"Sally," Nicole voiced after the princess had taken a few steps. "You have an incoming call."

At a time like this? "Put it through."

Silently, the AI complied. The princess managed to pull her left wrist up to eye-level just as the call connected, her heart skipping a beat the moment her eyes settled upon the boy. Oh no. Of all the people she had to face, of all the people she had to break the truth to, did it have to be him? And so soon?

"Sally!" Tails exclaimed, his voice and expression frantic and filled with fear. "I saw what happened through the Eggman network! Is Sonic okay? Were you able to get him to a hospital in time?"

The very sight of the boy—the boy who had called her Aunt Sally only years ago—tore her apart. How was she going to tell him? What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Rather than using words to convey her message, Sally allowed the silence to do it for her.

"He's… isn't he…? Sally, you got him to a hospital in time, right? They're… they're taking care of him right now, aren't they, Sally?" She didn't speak, and the young man's eyes widened in response. "He's… he's not…"

Shaking her head and biting her lip, Sally swallowed. "I'll be by your house as soon as I can, Tails."

"Sonic…" Tails shook his head, "He's not… he can't be. Sally, he just can't be!"

"I know, sweetie. I know." At the mention of one of his old nicknames, the expression on Tails' face morphed from one of fear, to one of shock, pain, and horror.

"But… Sonic…"

Over-whelmed, Sally pulled herself out of view, allowing herself a few moments to regain her composure. "I'm really, really sorry, Tails. I tried everything I could to save him. I just wasn't fast enough in the end."

The boy had been claimed by shock and something else that Sally couldn't identify in the time that she had pulled the watch away. Just as Sally was about to say something else in an effort to calm him, the boy spoke again. "I'll… I'll let them know."

"Them?"

"Everyone. The world. Mobius. They deserve it."

Taking in deep breath, Sally nodded. "Thank you. I'll be there, soon Tails." But the transition ended before she could utter the final syllable.

Sally simply stood there, staring at her watch, waiting. Waiting for some sort of a miracle, for a pinch on the arm, for some sign to prove to her that this nightmare was going to end. That she was dreaming.

"I'm… awake. Aren't I, Nicole?" Sally admitted, the wind flipping her hair about softly.

"Yes, Sally. You are."

The princess didn't speak. Instead, she turned to look at the hedgehog one last time. From a distance, it looked as if he was sleeping. As if nothing was wrong, as if he'd get up and pounce on her the moment she'd look away. As if life could go on like normal.

"Goodbye, Sonic."

The princess ran off without another word into the thicket of trees that surrounded the grassy field, tears blurring her vision, her hands balled into fists. She had to get away, had to get away, had to get away… had to get to Tails, had to comfort him, had to do anything, something, had to just run like he always did… run, run, run… tears and sobs and crying and no, no, no…

She had to run away…

The two spirits watching her did not move, but stood steadfast in their spots. The first, a tall and feminine figure adorned in a cloak as black as night, sighed and shook her head. "What else do you have now? She is gone. Your time is up."

But the second figure, a blue hedgehog, simply watched her until she disappeared completely from sight. He twiddled his fingers for a time, biting his lip as his hands balled into fists, then relaxed into a cupped formation, then tensed up into a fist again. He swallowed and opened his mouth as if to speak, perhaps to call her name, but the word died on his tongue. She wasn't going to hear him, and that much he knew as a fact.

"She doesn't need you. She survived without you before this, and she'll be able to do it again." The cloaked woman informed him, her voice ice cold. "She'll live."

But he hadn't wanted her to have to go it alone. Not again. Not after everything she'd been through and after everything she'd lost. He… he hadn't…

Swallowing, Sonic shook his head and fell to the ground, pulling his knees close to his chest and burying his face in them, his arms fastened tight around them. This… this was the last thing he had wanted to put her through. He had saved her, yes, but at what cost? Was it going to be worth it, in the long run?

Sighed for the umpteenth time, the cloaked woman pulled her hands up to eye-level as if to examine her nails. "Take all the time you need, hero. I'm not in a rush."

The hedgehog didn't speak. He simply listened to the all too familiar rush of the breeze in his ears.

* * *

><p>I apologize my loyal subjects. D: Your queen of evil cliff-hangers has done you much wrong, and she apologizes profusely for her horrendous crimes. I'm so, so sorry this took so long to update! This was far too long of a wait! I had difficulties figuring out where I wanted to go with it, and an even more problems with finding time to actually sit down and write. I'm so, so sorry! DX<p>

But alas, the thirty-first chapter of Fragile is here! And... oh no. Sonic is... oh carp. I mean crap. He... the hero has died. What is Sally going to do now? What will become of Sonic? Is he gone forever? How is the world going to handle his death? I promise that next time's chapter will NOT take so long. This story is almost over, and I intend to completely finish it as soon as possible!

Thanks so much to Thomas Holmes II, BlazingEdge, alwaysdoubted, brave kid, Sesshomarusama3, Parker117, Guest, fighterofflames, Teamnaze, Candace, Saphireflame31, and Dragako the Weaver for the reviews. You guys really mean a lot to me, and your reviews always manage to make my day that much better. Thank you for taking the time to write them. And thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this story, even if you're a silent reader! A silent reader is a reader, and that's a good thing to me!

Until next time!


	32. And in the Mourning

** Chapter 32: And in the Mourning**

The world had frozen in its place. Every last citizen on the face of Mobius, whether human or Mobian, was holding their breath. Their eyes were glued to their television screens, their ears perked in anxious anticipation. They simply had to know of the fate that had befallen their hero. Had he survived? Had the princess taken him to a hospital in time? Or had he succumbed his injuries? No one seemed to know the answer.

Everyone had seen it happen on the Eggman network. Or, if they hadn't seen it, they had heard about it one way or another. The news had spread faster than wildfire, as such terrible things always did. Sonic the Hedgehog had taken a chaos spear through the chest to save the princess. He bled in his super form, tears spilled over, and he collapsed as if dead. But before anything else could be discovered, the cameras filming the event shut off from either technical difficulties, or some understanding that they had just shown the world something awful.

Something that had set the world's mind and heart on edge; something that had sent shivers up their spines, that had freed screams into the air, and that had welled tears in their eyes. Fear in its darkest form had planted itself into the core of their being, and without any proof that their hero might have survived, all they could do was wait. Wait for that tiny spark of hope that always came after Sonic had seemingly met his match… always and always, without fail…

All at once, every television, every smart phone, every computer, every radio, and anything else that could relay the message was claimed by a single frequency. An image and a sound flared alive on the screen, and suddenly, their hope was renewed. Their faith was still alive.

"Citizens of Mobius…" Yet the voice of the boy, the young kit who followed his brother so fervently on adventures both wild and whimsical, was so heavy and burdened that as soon as it had been born, that hope died away. "Less than an hour ago, we witnessed a truly horrific event. In an act to save Princess Sally Acorn, the one he loved, Sonic the Hedgehog took a chaos spear to the back and through the chest."

"It is with a heavy heart that I inform… that I tell you all that…" The world leaned forward in in unison, waiting for the boy who was far too young to be carrying such a burden to continue. "That… that he's… he's…"

Wordlessly, the boy's gaze fell downward and glistened over, his words falling flat and his resolve dying off. Was he going to continue? Wasn't he going to tell everyone that Sonic was okay? Wasn't he going to let them all know that the Blue Blur had survived? He… had survived, right?

Right?

Without a single warning, the fox cringed and let out a single, heart-wrenching cry, his mask shattered and his heart broken. "He's gone!" He cried out, tears over-whelming the poor boy within a fraction of a second. "He died, and now—" He took in a sharp intake of breath, hysteric sobs breaking his words apart, "He'll—he's—he's gone and never—never coming back—and now—"

Gasping, Tails gritted his teeth and shook his head, turning away from the camera in an attempt to hide his tears. "I'm sorry." With a single push of a button and without explaining further, the boy ended the broadcast, enshrouding the world within a thick veil of silence.

Their hero… was dead? Gone?

Forever?

At first, the silence that had descended reigned supreme. Then, bit by bit, as with the rising of the sun, the mourning began.

* * *

><p>No. I wasn't true. It couldn't be true. He had to be lying. Sonic wasn't supposed to die. Sonic didn't fail. Sonic didn't die. He was the fastest thing alive, the Hero of Mobius, the Blue Blur. Sonic the Hedgehog was the stuff of legend—a living legend itself—and she was supposed to believe that he was dead? She was supposed to buy that lie?<p>

"It's…" Amy Rose whispered, her eyes glued to the mega screen hanging upon the large building as she clutched her purse tighter. "It's not possible. It can't be… he's not…"

All around her, Amy could hear the sounds of others giving in and giving up. With a single bite, fear and distress had claimed its crown. One-by-one, people broke out in tears and ugly sobs, screaming and screeching all sorts of incomprehensible outbursts of woe. He was gone, they were hopeless, and they were doomed for sure. Nothing would keep them safe from that mad mastermind now.

"You can't… you can't just… be gone like this, Sonic."

Before Amy could budge from her spot or even readjust her gaze, the mega screen flashed alive again. Within seconds of fox's announcement being made, the image of Sonic appearing in front of Sally just before the spear struck was visible and shining for all to see, with a banner directly below it reading: _Breaking News! Sonic the Hedgehog declared dead._ Suddenly, the all too powerful proof of Sonic's demise was there for all to see. The truth had been spoken. And to Amy's horror, it was too real to be denied, for she had even watched it happen. She had seen it with her own two eyes.

Her knees weakened as the harsh reality sunk in, as it swallowed her whole. Tears over-flowed her eyes, her body began to shake, and her hands balled into fists. Sonic… he had… he really had…

Her heart stopping and the breath catching in the back of her throat, Amy clamped her eyes shut and cried out in the loudest voice she could muster. "SONIC! WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO WITHOUT YOU?" Then, without another word, she fell to her knees and sobbed.

* * *

><p>The Ultimate Lifeform was more than surprised by the news. In fact, to be quite honest, he was beyond what anyone could have called shocked. He was awestruck. Sonic… was dead? When the announcement rung through his smart phone, which he was required to carry by G.U.N. protocol, a wave of something stronger than astonishment had washed over him.<p>

"Though we still have few details following the announcement released by Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's best friend and side-kick of many years, officials believe that Sonic the Hedgehog's death was caused by injuries sustained from the object that impaled him…"

Ignoring his annoyance at the blatantly obvious statement, Shadow stared blankly at his screen, trying his hardest to pay attention to the woman speaking and process the scenario in his head at the same time. How had Sonic messed up so much? How exactly had he allowed such a mistake to occur?

Shadow knew better than most of what Sonic's limits were. Through many battles and a year of training him, Shadow had seen the hedgehog's abilities first-hand. He was the fastest thing alive, strong enough to defeat enemies that were seemingly way out of his league, and well adept in the chaos arts. No, far more than adept, Sonic was a master who had caught on to Shadow's lessons faster than anyone else could ever hope to do.

Sonic knew how chaos energy flowed and spread, how it spider-webbed through air, earth, water, and fire, how it would settle gently one moment only to explode and burn the next. He knew how to channel it and direct it, he knew how to will it into any shape or form, and he knew how to make it dance. And through his single year of training, he could sense it just as well as Shadow and Knuckles could, if not better.

He was astounding, and that much was putting it lightly. But he was not perfect in the art, and that much was fact. There had been one technique he had struggled with. Only one attack had alluded him, only one had been too much for him to handle, and of course, it had been the very one to undo him altogether.

The chaos spear.

Fueled by an intent to harm, the chaos spear had proved itself as the one block Sonic had been unable to pass. It had frustrated the Blue Blur, it had caused Shadow's patience to wear thin, and worst of all, when Sonic's rage had finally been broken after being yelled at time and time again, it had been the cause of much physical pain to Shadow. After receiving a single chaos spear to the legs courtesy of Sonic himself, Shadow had decided it was best if they skipped over the chaos spear part of the chaos training, and that was that. From that then on out, Shadow was sure he wasn't going to use the spear.

But, being who he was, Sonic just had to surprise him. No, he just had to surprise everyone. He had to go out with a bang. He had to be the wild and whimsical hero that he was. Even when he thought things through, even when he was sure he had it figured out, Sonic's reckless nature always managed to win him over. Always and always, without doubt, it remained a part of him.

Not even death could have purged that from Sonic's system.

"You idiot." Shadow whispered, his teeth gritted in irritation, his brow furrowed together as a tear slid down his cheek. "Did you ever even listen to what I told you? Didn't you have any respect for your master?"

Shadow was sure he'd never get his answer.

* * *

><p>He was probably the only out of all of Sonic's friends who hadn't seen the broadcast, maybe the only one on the face of Mobius who hadn't watched it. Isolated atop his floating island, he had no way to access any technology that would have let him know right off the dot, but yes, he knew all the same. He knew it for a fact, and it was as simple as that.<p>

The guardian knew Sonic had died.

He didn't receive the news from word of mouth, though he was sure that Bat-girl would be here soon enough to reiterate what she had seen and heard. He hadn't hear it on the radio, and no, he hadn't even been watching the sky in an attempt to see the battle. The guardian didn't need anything like that to inform him that Sonic was gone. Unlike everyone else on the planet who was so caught up in their technology and noises and stupid little problems, Knuckles knew how to listen.

If he sat there and paid attention, if he allowed the whispers to flow through the air and into his very being, he could hear it. The heartbreak, the darkness, the emptiness… oh, that emptiness. When one as quiet as him allowed it to speak, it thundered above all the cries that echoed throughout the world. It bellowed and boomed and broke the silence, shattered it into tiny pieces, and reduced it to dust. The emptiness that ruled Mobius without its hero, if listened to, was louder than any thunder and stronger than any storm.

From his spot on the top step just before the Master Emerald, Knuckles took in a deep breath. For a long while he closed his eyes, holding the breath back in his lungs, his arms folded tight across his chest as he sat there and listened. Then, gradually, as he exhaled, he opened his eyes and spoke in a soft voice.

"See you on the other side, True Blue."

Silence descended once again upon Angel Island, and with that, Knuckles continued his duty.

* * *

><p>The diner, usually filled with the laughter and chatter of adults, teens, and children alike, was so quiet that if the televisions hadn't been on, the buzzing of the lights could have been heard. Every head was turned to one of the screens, every gaze glued to them, their attention so focused on the news casts and replays of the fox's announcement that their burgers, sandwiches, and chili dogs began to grow cold. Shocked expressions, blank stares, and mouths left open in wordless gaps ruled the crowd. Yet after a time, whispers began to settle in and swirl around in the still air.<p>

"He can't be gone!" One girl cried out, shaking her head rapidly as her breathing sped up into a series of hyper-ventilated gasps. "He just can't be!"

"We still need him!" Another, this time a father, exclaimed. "Who's going to protect us against Eggman now? We can't fight him ourselves! Now of us are fast or strong enough!"

A child, tears streaming down her cheeks, stuttered and sobbed. "I-I don't Sonic to d-die! Why did it h-have to be S-Sonic?"

Another younger man shouted and pounded his fists on the table "This isn't fair!"

Yet in-between the chaos that had broken out in the diner, within all the tears, shouts, screams, and pleas, only one man, a long-time regular costumer, paid heed to the owner of the diner, the man at the front desk.

"Chuck, isn't that… isn't that your nephew?"

Though the man hadn't been very loud in his supposing, the entire diner somehow managed to hear his words. All at once, the cries died with a decrescendo, and all eyes trailed from the television screens to Chuck at the front of the restaurant. How… how could any of them forgotten? The blue and mustached hedgehog, the owner of the popular diner, was the uncle of the fallen hero, the one who had raised him since his parents had disappeared. How could they have let that fact slide?

Chuck's expression, the gaze in his eyes, was blank and emptier than any of theirs combined. His body as still as stone, frozen in place, and unmoving for what could have been a million years. Was… was he going to be okay…? Or was he—?

Before anyone could get up from their spot or say anything in an attempt to comfort him, Chuck took in a deep breath. His body shook as he inhaled, tears welling in his eyes. No. No, no, no. Not Sonic. Anyone but Sonic. He was still so young. He was far too young for something like this. His nephew… his own nephew was…

The middle-aged hedgehog turned and walked out just as the man sitting at the front booth opened his mouth again. Rather than staying to listen to their empty words of comfort, Chuck trudged onward through the back door of the kitchen, down the hall, and on towards his office. He opened, slammed, and locked the door within a matter of seconds, ignoring the shaking wall decorations as he made his way to his desk.

Once there, Chuck fell back and slumped into his chair, where he stayed frozen for several seconds before he scoot closer to his desk so elbows could rest. Then, without letting a single word pass his lips, the man let his head fall forward into the palms of his hands

From there, he cried in solitude.

* * *

><p>"Oh… oh mah stars. Suga' Hog is… he's…" Bunnie D'Coolette fought back tears, turning her attention away from the screen hanging upon the wall and wrapping her arms around herself in the process. "He can't be, though. He just can't. He's too… too young. Too good for something like this. He was just startin' his life, just gettin' a hang of things. He… he was back with Sally-girl and… he looked so… so happy an'…"<p>

Her words almost echoed in the rotting cell, but she was lucky in the fact that they did not go unanswered. "Bunnie, it's going to be okay. I'm sure he's fine."

Bunnie shook her head, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "No. It's not going to be okay, Rote. He… there's no way he could have survived anything like that." And she shivered, the bug in her clunky metallic limbs causing her arm to spasm, a gasp slipping past her lips in the process.

"Bunnie!" Rotor called from his unseen spot just around the corner. "Are you okay? Is the bug acting up again?"

Though there was no point in it, Bunnie nodded and grabbed onto her metal arm with her right hand, gritting her teeth together in an attempt to bite back on the pain, or whatever it was that the bug did to her cybernetics. "Yes, it is."

For a moment, silence ruled in the dark and rusted jail hall. "It's been happening more and more frequently, hasn't it?" Rotor asked, his voice hollow.

She nodded again. "Yes." Bunnie answered, her breathing sharpening as she tightened the grasp on her left arm. "Yes it has. And ah can barely take it anymore"

Rotor didn't respond right away. "It's… it's going to be alright. We'll get out of here soon enough. As soon as Sally—"

"Don't ya get it, Rote?" Bunnie cut in, taking a shaky breath before she continued. "Sally-girl had given up just before tha raid on Knothole happened. She had called it quits." She stated, the shaking within her metallic limbs gradually worsening. "Suga' Hog was the one who pulled her out of that slump, and you know it as well as I do. She looked so excited to be jumpin' inta battle, and that was because of him. But with him gone… with him dead… we have no chance."

"But Sally—"

"But Sally nothin'!" Bunnie shouted, her brow knit together in frustration. "You saw the look on her face, and you know as well as ah do what happened to Suga' Hog. Without those two, we're as helpless as sittin' ducks, and that much ah can guarantee." She growled and stomped her foot, both to emphasize her point and to stop the trembling in her legs. "We're done for, Rote. That much ah'm sure of."

"Bunnie…" Rotor whispered.

"There's no hope left for us, Rote. So we might as well give up like everyone el—"

"B-Bunnie…?"

Her heart stopped cold at the sound of Antoine's voice and her eyes grew wide. He was awake. He was actually awake. Without another moment's notice, the rabbit ran towards the right front corner of her cell where iron bars and wall met.

"Suga' Twan!" She exclaimed, her voice hoarse and all too desperate. "Are you alright?" Bunnie reached her arm through the bars, twisting and reaching in an attempt for her hand to brush against his, or just to let him know that she was there. "Speak ta me!"

At first, the only reply she received was a moan. Then, gradually, her husband began to speak, his words littered with stutters that simply shouldn't have been there. "B-Bunnie… iz eet time f-for dinner? H-have zey—?"

"Not yet, Suga'." She told him, forcing her voice to be as soft and soothing as possible. "But it will be soon, so just be patient. No worries! Right?"

Bunnie waited. She heard him cough and shuffle around, as if maybe he was trying to get up. "Don't force yourself, Suga'." She told him, "Lay down and rest if ya have ta."

"I am f-fine, Bunnie." Antoine reassured her, his voice weak as he took a few steps—_tap, draaag, tap, draaaag, tap, draaaaag_—across the cell. "I am j-just needing zome food. Z-zat is all."

The rabbit nodded, mostly to herself. "If ya need it, ah'll let ya have some of mine too."

Her heart fluttered when she felt his hand grab onto hers. His grasp was weak and his skin was cold, but it was there all the same. "Bunnie, I w-will be fine. Y-you are here, and zat is what matte—"

A succession of metallic yet light footsteps forced the words to catch in the back of Antoine's throat and freeze before he could finish his sentence, causing Bunnie's heart to sink at the same time. No. No, no, NO!

"What's going on?" Rotor exclaimed, heavy and rapid footsteps sounding from the direction of his cell. "I thought that he already—"

"No!" Bunnie shouted, tightening her grip on her husband's hand. "This isn't FAIR! You already took him today! He just barely woke up! Why can't ya just leave 'im alone, you ugly bucket of BOLTS?"

The robot in question, as always, said nothing and kept walking. Tears that had been contained while watching the news feed and announcement began to spill over, and Bunnie's robotic limbs began to shake all over again. "LEAVE 'IM ALONE!" She screeched, her voice cracking. "JUST LEAVE 'IM ALONE, YA HUNK O' JUNK!"

The commotion did not stir the robot from its objective, and without fail, Bunnie could hear the metal gate slide open.

"STOP IT!" Bunnie shrieked, tears blinding her and forcing words up her throat in the form of broken chokes. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

From the same direction that Rotor was in, but in a softer volume, another voice called out. "Rotor, Bunnie, what's happening? Don't tell me they're—"

"He's taking him again!" Rotor exclaimed, the bars in his own cell rattling, probably from his efforts to loosen them. "He's taking Antoine back again!"

"But I thought that he just got back from last—"

The young woman, caught up in the fear and utter turmoil of the situation, stopped paying attention to the two males when her husband began to speak and when he squeezed her hand. "B-Bunnie, do not worry, I will be f-fine. Do not fear. We will be all g-good in thEEEUUGH!"

And just like that, the moment his screech of pain and the powerful connection of metal and furry flesh sounded, Antoine's grasp died off, and he was out of her reach again. "SUGA' TWAN!" Bunnie screamed, her roboticized limbs shaking so heavily that she could barely stand on her own two feet. "SUGA' TWAN!"

From the other cell, Bunnie could hear her husband groan in pain, and at first, she expected the absolute worst. The metal footsteps continued again for a moment, paused, and silence ruled. Then, a weakened voice spoke out, sending a shiver up and down Bunnie's spine.

"You are nothing like ze real Sonic. Go back to ze pit you crawled out of, you scum."

And she heard him spit.

As always, the robot didn't say anything. Instead, it merely punched him yet again, forcing another muffled cry up his throat before he dragged him off down the hall, leaving only a trail of the coyote's broken cries as a trail.

The rabbit, tears flowing and body shaking, was unable to do anything.

"But why is he doing it, Rotor?" The other voice finally shouted again after the robot had left, his voice tired and filled to the brim with worry.

"I have no idea." Rotor replied franticly. "It could be anything from faulty programming to a new set of orders. He might even… he might just be getting a kick out of it."

"Can't we do anything about it?" The other voice questioned, noticeably disgusted and hurt.

Rotor sighed heavily, "No. There isn't. I have nothing to work with in here. Eggman made sure of that."

When the other voice down the hall didn't reply, Rotor made sure to keep silent, as did Bunnie, who had slumped down to her knees. She didn't want this anymore. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't sit and starve, couldn't let her cybernetics rip her apart from the inside-out, couldn't sit back and listen to that monstrosity destroy—

Antoine's screams, though far away, echoed all the way down the hall, piercing deep into Bunnie's heart. They sent a shiver stronger than any wind through the cells, causing a fresh batch of tears and sobs to reap themselves anew within Bunnie. She couldn't sit here and listen to her husband scream anymore. She couldn't stand being so helpless. She didn't want to die. She didn't want Antoine to die. She couldn't do it, wouldn't do it, and didn't want to do it…

"What… what are we supposed to do?" Rotor whispered, his hands held tight around the bars as he rested his head upon them, hoping the screams would end and the robot would give up. "Without Sonic and Sally… we're as good as dead. Worse off, even."

The other man in his cell said nothing from his spot on the ground. Instead, he stared up at the screen hanging upon the wall, his gaze resting steadfast on the hero and the princess. His eyes were glued to the man he had one day hoped to call a brother, and on the sister he hadn't seen in far too long.

"Sally…" Elias exhaled, shoulders dropping as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I wish… it didn't have to end like this."

The image on the screen, the frozen frame of the hero being impaled, of the princess being saved, of their hope dying as they knew it, didn't speak. So, in the very least, Elias knew that he still had an ounce of his sanity left.

* * *

><p>The mad doctor was seething, furious, and fueled by a rage so powerful that if it would have made itself manifest, it would have swallowed the entire solar system within a fraction of a mili-second. How was it possible? How could it be? After spending millions of rings, countless hours in research and development, and unlimited sleepless nights working on the Eggxterminator, on perfecting its every nook and cranny, he had fallen short again. Again he had failed, just like every other single time he went against that blasted hedgehog. And within a matter of minutes, no less! Mere minutes!<p>

"The next time I see that rodent," Eggman hissed, stepping out of the escape pod that had landed in the safety of his current base's docking station, instantly surrounding himself with the familiarity of computer screens and controls far too complex for the average human or Mobian to operate. "I'm not even going to let him make a single stupid pun. No, I'm going to vaporize him, gather the ashes, reanimate him, then vaporize him again!" He exclaimed, paying little heed to the nephew and roboticized hedgehog prisoner that were following him.

"Then, I'm gather the ashes again, scatter them across the ocean, and watch as they sink to the bottom where they'll never bother me again! Because even if he were to survive, he'd drown the moment he started to float back up! And then, I'll make a statue in his honor, which I'll proceed to—"

"Are you quite finished?" The hedgehog, bold and braver than either of the humans combined, finally piped up. "I'm afraid that I've grown far too sick of your speeches to care about what you won't be able to do to my son anymore. You barely cause me to quiver anymore, Dr. Robotnik, so it's sad to imagine what you do—or don't do, rather—to my son."

Twisting on the dime, Dr. Eggman glared down at the hedgehog. He was at least twice the height of the roboticized creature and at least four times as wide, but just by looking at him, the good doctor could see how right he was. There wasn't the smallest hint of fear shining in his eyes or causing him to shake in his spoke, not even the smallest measure of surprise that caused him to jump back. He honestly and truly wasn't afraid of the man.

But, of course, as Eggman had forgotten time and time again, Jules was Sonic's father. How could he expect anything less? Sneering, the man turned on his heel. "You'd best to stay quiet, rodent. If you don't, I may have to reduce you to scrap metal. Or maybe I'll turn you into a nice pencil sharpener. Would you like that?"

The hedgehog sighed and folded his arms. "Now _that _would be better than having to listen to your voice all day."

Eggman froze in his spot at the hedgehog's remark, and he could swear that he had heard Snively chuckle. Yet just as he was about to question or point fingers, his wrist communicator—his communicator of all things—went off. What on the face of Mobius? Was now really the time? Though his first impression was to ignore the stupid thing, Eggman quickly gave into curiosity (and an urge to distract himself from his impending rage), pulled the communicator up to eye level, and switched the device on.

He was greeted by the sweetest and most pleasant surprise he ever had the fortune of seeing.

There sitting upon his screen, glowing golden and adorned in crimson was an image of Sonic the Hedgehog, accompanied with a headline just below it written in bold letters: _Breaking News: Sonic the Hedgehog Declared Dead! Hero of Mobius is no More! _Following it, more words scrolled past. _Official announcement from Tails, Sonic's best friend, confirms the Blue Blur's death. Killed by his own attack in an attempt to save Sally Acorn, Sonic's final act of heroism leaves Mobius without its hero. _

Sonic the Hedgehog? Dead? And killed by a weapon of his own design?

A grin so wicked that it would have sent the devil himself skittering off took over Eggman.

"Ha!" Jules suddenly laughed, shaking his head. "What are you so smug about, Eggman? Did you happen to win the lottery within all your bad luck? Or maybe you finally shed those last five pounds to fit into those new pants?"

Devilishly, the doctor chuckled right along with the man, allowing his laugh to expand into a full-fledged maniacal laugh, surprise capturing both Jules and Snively in the process. "Oh no, much better!" Eggman exclaimed, clicking a few buttons on the device. "It appears as if my pest problem has taken care of itself!" And just like that, the screens in the rooms lit up with that same image.

For the first time since he had captured either of them, Eggman watched as their eyes widened, as their mouths opened into wordless gaps, as pure shock claimed them. He smirked when Snively turned to him, thoroughly impressed with his uncle's news, then smiled a toothy grin when Jules looked at him, his eyes wide as his shoulders fell.

"My… my son… but Sonic is… he's only… just a… a teen…"

"He's only a page on the books now, old foe." Eggman laughed, clapping his hands together in triumph. "And he's a page that will be ripped out in favor of a new history."

Jules shook his head and covered his face, as if to hide the tears that would never well. But Snively turned to face his uncle, his curiosity genuinely stirred. "A new history?"

Eggman nodded. "There are no more obstacles, Snively. The Eggman Empire will rise again, but this time…" He threw his arms out, laughed, and soaked in the image of his fallen foe, his greatest enemy, the oppressor of his dreams for years. How small, suddenly, Sonic the Hedgehog seemed to be…

"This time, no one will stand in our way."

And how insignificant he was, too.

* * *

><p>Mobius has lost its hero. But many have lost their friend. Their nephew. Their hope. Their son. Or in some cases, their enemy. Sonic's death did not just affect Sally and Tails... it hurt so many more than that.<p>

And wow! A new chapter after nine days! Sweet! But oh my goodness, it's so late. Bleh, I'm going to bed right after this. XP

Thank you so much to my reviewers, Dragrako the Weaver, BlazingEdge, Cypheron94, brave kid, Solarknight117, and hypershadic77. Your reviews mean so much to me, so thank you! And thanks to all my silent readers, new readers, and new favorites and follows. You guys rock!

There are two chapters left in this tale. I hope you guys are excited for the end as I am!

Until next time!


	33. Memoirs of a Fallen Hero

**Chapter 33: Memoirs of a Fallen Hero**

She had been running for nearly four days straight, and other than that first night of sleeplessness, she hadn't attempted to rest. In fact, she had barely even allowed herself a minute to do something as simple as sit down and eat when she stopped by a town. The very moment she bought herself food with whatever little money she had, she'd take it with her and eat as she walked. Then, once she'd finish her meal, she'd pick her running pace back up, occasionally taking one of the energy vitamins that Nicole offered her in compensation for her lack of sleep. Sadly, as Nicole had quickly realized, those energy vitamins ended up serving as the only help the AI could provide to her stubborn friend.

Within their four days of travel, Sally refused to take any of Nicole's advice when it came to resting. No matter what, anything that the AI came up with was out the question in one way or another, and that was that. Nights spent in a hotel would cost too much, sleeping out in the open would be too dangerous, and yes, even little naps in a park would be too much of a time-waster to provide beneficial. Of course, when Nicole tried to point out that the evidence behind her argument was invalid, especially given the fact that on her and Sonic's journey, the two of them had slept out in the open multiple times, Sally didn't even bother replying.

Over time, it came to the point where Nicole started threatening Sally with various strategies to get her to fall asleep. She demanded that the princess get at least some rest, or she'd spike her energy vitamins with a sleeping drug, or even go as far to find someone else to knock her out. Her empty threats continued on for several days until finally, on the third day, instead of simply ignoring her friend's points, Sally replied.

"I can't go to sleep." Sally panted, her brow furrowed together in concentration and her sides burning from running for so long. "I have to get to Tails as soon as I can. He needs all the help he can get right now." She explained, pausing so she could concentrate on her jump to cross the gap in her path. "And after I visit him, I have to go back to Knothole and start repairs."

Frustrated at her friend's hard-headedness, Nicole growled. "Even if that's true and Tails does need your support, you shouldn't jeopardize your health just so you can get there before the week is up. You need your rest!"

Sally shook her head after landing solidly on the ground. "I just need to get to him. I can sleep after I get there."

"But Sally—"

"No buts, Nicole." The princess demanded, her voice swift, yet flat. "I'm not going to negotiate with you. I'm not stopping until I get to his house, and it's as simple as that. Got it?"

Though her initial response was to fight back, Nicole decided against it and bit her tongue. She knew that when Sally had made a decision like this, it was set in stone. There was going to be no changing her mind, and that was that. "Fine." She sighed in frustration. "But you WILL sleep when you get to his house. You got that?"

Sally nodded and continued running, but Nicole growled under her breath. "You're going to wear yourself ragged before you get to Station Square…"

Much to Nicole's surprise, though, Sally was able to arrive in Station Square in one piece, just as the sun had settled beneath the horizon. As always, the city was buzzing alive with cars and chattering people and technology of all sorts, and to Sally's luck, with restaurants and fast food joints that were running long after the sun had set. What luck the princess had, at such inconvenient times…

After ordering a chili dog, a small bag of fries, and a soda at a popular burger joint—much to Nicole's surprise, since Sally had never had an appetite for those things—Sally headed off toward the train station. Once she had finished her meal, she bought a one-way ticket to the Mystic Jungle, which she boarded in silence.

The train ride was, as expected, devastatingly quiet. With only three other passengers riding, chatter remained mostly nonexistent. Though occasional small-talk did occur between the three passengers, including a few words from Sally—_yes, I was the one who helped Sonic, and yes, I watched him die—_silence reigned supreme. It was only when the train reached its destination a little past midnight that any loud talking picked up, though Sally did her best to avoid it.

In fact, when it did commence, Sally didn't even bother to stick around. The moment the train doors had swept off to the side, Sally was outside, taking in a deep breath of fresh air before she jumped off the wooden structure, landing shakily on both feet before continuing onward.

The last stretch of her run felt like an eternity and a half to the exhausted girl, but after bracing the massive staircase, the quick jog across the field, and the last little bunch of stairs, she finally found herself standing at the fox's door. Before she pulled her hand up to knock, however, she allowed a moment to steady herself, to take in a series of deep breaths in the hope that the migraine she had been so carefully hiding from Nicole would die down, if only by a bit. If she could have had that, she would have been at least content with the fatigue that had taken her.

Her migraine, strengthened by speaking out loud or any noise whatsoever, had been pounding, burning, and raging ever since she had used the chaos control on Sonic's body. It had made running for so long a nightmare and a half, but to her misfortune, it had only increased in intensity when she tried to sleep it off. And then as if that wasn't bad enough, when she _had_ tried to sleep that first night, she had—

Without a single word of warning, the door before the girl swung open, light pouring down and across Sally, causing the migraine to burn stronger yet. Ugh, why did it have to be so darn bright? Couldn't the fox have been content with a candle or—

"Sally!" Tails exclaimed, disbelief spilling into his voice. "How—how did you get here so fast? And why—whoa. You don't look too good. Are you okay?"

The princess, who was still panting, tried to shrug it off, though it appeared to be more like a shutter than anything else. "I'm—" A cough forced itself up her throat as soon as she spoke, shaking her body and rattling the sting around in her head like a child with three energy drink's worth of caffeine in their system. Ohh… now that hadn't felt good…

"Sally!" Doing his best to be quick and gentle, Tails threw an arm around Sally's shoulders. "You're so pale. And you feel like you're on fire! You, oh, come on inside. I'll get you some water."

The princess only nodded in response, for a series of fresh coughs had made their way up her throat, causing her body to quiver and the migraine to scorch stronger. Oh, if only that blasted migraine wasn't there! She could deal with the tiredness and the coughing, but the migraine was pushing her limits. If she didn't find some sort of a fix to it, she was sure her skull was going to split in two…

Shortly after entering the house, Tails helped Sally down in one of his large recliners, where she continued to cough and shiver as if deathly ill. "I'll be right back," He told her, worry over-taking his expression as he walked off towards the kitchen. "Stay put!"

She didn't respond, but she was lucky in the fact that her coughing calmed down, which finally permitted her to focus on breathing correctly so she could regain control of herself. Once she was able to return her breathing back to an even and regular pace, she swallowed before grabbing onto her head and leaning forward. From there, she carefully set her elbows on her knees, placing her forehead into the palms of her hands in an attempt to alleviate the drumming.

"Sally," But just as she had starting rubbing her head, Tails had returned with a glass of water in his hand. "How did you get here so fast? You only called me four days ago."

Looking up from the oh-so-interesting floor she had been staring at, Sally reached for the out-stretched glass of water. "I've been running non-stop for a few days." She told him, swallowing most of the glass's contents within her first few gulps. "I've only stopped to buy food."

Tails' eyes grew wide in surprise, which quickly escalated into shock. "You've… you've only stopped for food?" Sally nodded and took another drink. "No wonder you look so beat! How have you even managed to keep going for so long?"

"Nicole's energy vitamins." Sally stated, handing the glass back to the fox. "Made with her nanites."

"Her nanites?" Tails raised his eyebrows. "I thought that using those required an energy source like a—"

"Chaos emerald. We found one." Sally told him, nodding. "It was right around where I had chaos controlled me and…" She paused and furrowed her brow, her heart growing heavy. Oh, she hadn't wanted to get to this so quickly… not at all. Sighing, Sally lowered her gaze and whispered, "I found it in the area Sonic and I landed in."

Even while she wasn't directly watching him, Sally noticed the fox's countenance drop at the mention of the hero. "Oh." And all at once, his attitude of care and concern died off in favor of the melancholy that had rapidly settled in. "I see…" His ears dropped, his two tails stopped twitching, and gradually, silence descended.

All the while, an over-whelming guilt seeped into Sally's heart. If she had been smarter and actually kept going, if she hadn't convinced herself to stop and wait for Sonic, none of this would have happened. Mobius would still have its hero, his parents would still have their son, Chuck would still have his nephew, and Tails would still have his big brother. And if she had actually kept going… if she had honestly tried to escape… she'd still have the man she loved.

Though she had managed to hold the tears back for the duration of her run, she was unable to do so any longer. A weight heavier than a ton of bricks collided into Sally, weighing down on her chest, and causing a fresh coat of tears to well as she sat up and looked at Tails.

"I'm sorry, Tails." The moment that first word slipped past her lips, Tails looked at her, his expression overwhelmed with surprise. "It's my fault that he's gone. If it wasn't for me, Sonic… Sonic wouldn't be gone. He'd still be alive and here, and…" A lump began to form in Sally's throat, and her vision blurred. "If… if I had just thought it out…" And bit by bit, she found it harder and harder to speak until finally, she couldn't even form a single word.

"Sally, don't say that." Tails told her once she had paused, a mixture of concern and astonishment filling his voice. "It wasn't your—"

Gritting her teeth and clamping her eyes shut, Sally threw her hands over her head. The pounding from her migraine and the emotional load joined together, and the within the blink of an eye, the pressure took her. Without a fair warning, the princess finally snapped.

"Yes it is!" She shrieked, the tears overflowing within a matter of seconds. "It's my fault that he's dead, Tails. Don't you get it? It's all my fault! If I hadn't been where I was, he wouldn't have taken that spear to the back! If I kept going, we would have gotten back to Mobius safely, and we could have both come back to see you. We would have both been okay. But do you know what Tails? Do you want to know what? We're not! He's not! He's gone forever, and now Mobius doesn't have its hero, you don't have your older brother, and there's no way that I can fix Knothole by myself or save the Freedom Fighters and I can't do this without him because I'm just not strong enou—"

Her words and thoughts, chaotic, broken beyond repair, and darker than night itself, did nothing to prepare her for the embrace that Tails had suddenly gifted her with. Wait—what? As soon as the boy had wrapped her arms around him, the princess's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes opened with a jolt. He—?

"Sally," Tails whispered, his voice brimming with pain and, to Sally's surprise, kindness. "I don't blame you for what happened to Sonic. And you shouldn't either."

He… he didn't think it was her fault? He didn't blame her?

At first, Sally couldn't think of anything to say, of any way to respond to his words. His compassion, his acceptance, and his unconditional love for the young woman who had so quickly turned to blame herself was almost more than what she could believe. He honestly didn't blame her? Not even a little bit? Not at all? Ever so slowly, as her heart began to settle down, Sally closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the boy.

It meant the world to her, to know that he didn't blame her. That he still cared.

And yet…

* * *

><p>Even though she was exhausted, sleep didn't come easily to her. In fact, it barely came to her at all. From the moment she laid her head down on the pillow in the guest bedroom to the second the first rays of sunlight brushed against her, she was engaged in an epic battle for the two forces that struggled for control over her body: sleep and pain. The much desired and sought after slumber, or the all too powerful migraine that had grasped her with an iron fist.<p>

She tossed and turned for the majority of the night, with brief naps visiting every once in a blue moon. Unfortunately, though, every time she awoke from one of these nap, she discovered that her headache had grown stronger from before. Along with this, she often awoke to an overwhelming dizziness, complete with a queasy stomach and warmth that devoured her entire being. Why, oh why did sleep have to be her enemy? Couldn't it actually aid her like it usually did? Or in the very least, couldn't it at least do her the favor of being dreamless?

And yes, as if the migraine wasn't awful enough, Sally's dreams also had the pleasure of being plagued with nightmares and night terrors alike. However, only a few select images ever bothered to fill her mind, and as she had feared, they concerned him and those last few words he had spoken to her.

_I guess… I just wasn't fast enough… I'm sorry… I'm… so… sorry… _

Of course.

Shaking and crying, Sally would awake from these nightmares only to see him floating there with tears in his eyes and blood in his fur, those words still echoing in her ears all the while.

_I'm… so… sorry… _

When she awoke for the fourth time, she gave up trying to sleep altogether.

"There's really no point to it, is there?" She mumbled a few minutes after she had jumped awake, fighting her hardest to sit up in the bed. "I'm not going to get anymore sleep, and that's all there is to it."

Taking in a deep breath, Sally pushed the blankets off her body and stepped off the bed. "I'll just have to wait until I pass out from the exhaustion or something." She whispered as she walked off to the spot she had placed her boots, gently picking them up one by one as she sighed. "Or until this headache goes away."

"You have a headache?"

Cringing at the sound of her friend's voice and at the fact that her secret had been revealed, Sally's ears fell. "You're already awake, Nicole?" She asked, hoping to redirect the AI's attention as she plopped down on the bed and started to pull on her left boot.

"Sally, I'm a computer, of course I'm already up. I don't actually have to sleep. But that's not important right now." She stated, "I want to know more about this headache of yours. How bad is it?"

Exhaling heavily, Sally lowered her gaze. Though she had been successful in hiding her pain from her friend for so long, she saw no point in trying to downplay the pounding now that she knew. When it came to Nicole, as the princess had discovered time and time and time again, honesty was the best policy. "On a scale of one to ten, I'm going to rank it as a seventeen."

"That bad?" Nicole asked, her voice brimming with concern.

Nodding, Sally pulled her right boot on. "Yeah."

"How long has it lasted?"

Standing up from the bed, Sally swiped her vest from its spot on the bed frame. "I've had it since I used that chaos control on Sonic." She told Nicole, quickly putting the single article of clothing on. "And it's only gotten worse since then."

"You've been dealing with it that long?" Nicole exclaimed, her tone controlled despite her worry. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

Sally didn't respond right away to her friend's query. Rather than that, she spent a few moments adjusting her boots and vest and running her fingers through her hair before she turned around. Pulling the sheets and blankets back into place, Sally spoke. "I didn't want to bother you, Nicole."

Nicole released a very firm, "Hmf!" as Sally sat up, a new rush of pain causing her to momentarily become dizzy. "That's a pretty lame excuse if you ask me. You know very well that I could have made you pain pill for it."

"I know." Sally whispered, her hand grasping her forehead in an attempt to alleviate the hurting. "I just didn't want to risk the chance of you adding some sleeping agent to it or something like that."

"Well don't worry about it, Sally. And hold your hand out, real quick." Nicole demanded, Sally quickly and obediently following her order in response. "I wouldn't do that to you right now. If you don't want to sleep, I won't make you."

As the nanites constructed a pain pill that slowly began to appear in her grasp, a light smile of gratitude graced Sally's lips. "Thanks, Nicole. That means a lot to me."

With a voice that seemed to be graced with a smile, Nicole spoke. "Anytime."

After taking a quick detour to the bathroom where she swallowed a mouthful of water to wash the pill down, Sally made her way downstairs. While descending, she was especially careful not to make any of the stairs creek or squeak. When she arrived at the ground floor, she spent a few precious seconds glancing about, making sure that Tails hadn't heard her get up or moving about. Once satisfied and convinced that the fox was still sound asleep, Sally nodded to herself and quietly began to half run, half walk to the front door.

"Wait a second." Nicole started, her voice teeming with surprise. "Aren't you going to say goodbye? You're not going to leave all dramatically and such without another word, are you?"

"Knothole is still in need of a few repairs and tune-ups." Sally sighed, reaching for the door-handle. "Besides, I've already bothered Tails enough."

"Stop it, Sally." Nicole commanded, "You know for a fact that he's not—"

"Oh!" But the AI was unable to continue, for the moment Sally had swung the door open, the two discovered that Tails was standing on the other side, his hand out-stretched for the door handle in a similar fashion to Sally herself. "You're already awake!" The boy exclaimed mere moments after their eyes had settled upon one another. "I was just about to come get you, Sally."

He was just about to get her? What for? Her brow knitting together, guilt seeping slowly into her system, Sally hummed and glanced off to the side. "I was just about to leave, actually."

"Without saying goodbye or bothering to stay for breakfast?" Tails asked, his voice surprisingly light as he folded his arms and smiled. "Not a chance!"

Her heart skipping a beat in surprise, Sally stood up straight. Why was he being so cheerful? "Tails, it's alright. I need to get to Knothole. There are still quite a few things I need to work on that I've been putting off for a while. If I don't fix them soon, they'll probably never get fixed at all."

Sighing, Tails swatted away nonchalantly at the air. "I know, I know." Tails told her, spinning around on his heel before he walked through the doorway. "That's why I'm going to give you a ride!"

"A ride?" Sally questioned, absent-mindedly closing the door back behind her as she turned to follow Tails. "In the Tornado?"

Tails nodded, hastily making his way to the kitchen table. "Yep! And I'm not taking no for an answer since I've already got her started up. Plus—" he paused, grabbed the single brown paper sack on the table, and turned to face the princess yet again. "I've already made you breakfast, too. So you really can't say no, since I've already put all this time and effort into it."

Staring in astonishment at the paper sack, Sally simply shook her head. "Tails, I—"

"Come on! We can leave right now, and you can eat on the way!" Tails exclaimed, pushing the bag quickly into the princess's grasp. "Unless you fall asleep, of course." Sally opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but before she could even release one syllable, the boy continued. "If you _do_ fall asleep, though, you can just eat when you get to Knothole. Sound good?"

"Tails, you really don't have to do this." Sally explained, "I don't—"

"No Sally, it's okay. I'm more than happy to fly you to Knothole. I want to do this!" The boy told her, his expression soft and kind. "And besides that, you look exhausted. I don't think it'd turn out well for you kept going like that all the way back to Knothole."

Staring at the fox for several long moments, her expression and heart gradually softening as she stared at him, Sally eventually took in a deep breath. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. If she kept traveling full speed ahead all the way to Knothole, she was definitely going to pass out. But if she took Tails' offer, it was almost a guarantee that she was most definitely not going to pass out on the way to her humble little home.

"So it's already started? The Tornado, I mean?" Sally exhaled, her tone lighter than before, but still cautious as if she was treading dangerous waters.

"Yes, it is." Tails informed her, an undeniable grin claiming him at the same time, as if he had realized she had given up and was finally willing to accept the ride. "So we don't have any time to waste. Let's go!"

True to his word, the Tornado was up and running when they got outside, and luckily for Sally, there were no other preparations left or the fox to perform. As soon as the two reached the Tornado, they jumped inside, buckled up, and took off, not daring to spare a word to one another, partly because of Sally's exhaustion, and partly because of Tails' concentration. Shortly after take-off, Sally found herself sorting through her little paper bag, grabbing whichever food item looked the most appetizing at the moment. Now did she want her sandwich or her apple more at the moment? Maybe the pudding?

"It's going to be smooth sailing today, Sally." Tails explained shortly after Sally had taken the first bite out of her vanilla pudding, his eyes set far ahead. "It will take about three hours to get there, give or take. Sound good to you?"

She nodded at first, remembered he couldn't see her, and then swallowed her mouthful. "Yeah, that sounds great." And assuming he wasn't going to respond, Sally continued eating. It wasn't long before she had finished everything in the sack.

With nothing else to do and a wandering mind that kept returning to her man, Sally eventually twisted in her seat to watch the land passing below her. She folded her arms and placed them so they were resting on the side of the plane, lowering her head down on top of them so as to keep her head from banging around. Once she was comfortable with where she was, her gaze dropped downward to the world they had left mere minutes ago.

Long stretches of land were becoming smaller and smaller and more difficult to see through their gradual descent. A layer of clouds, though invisible before take-off, had begun to form in-between the plane and Mobius. Slowly, the land beneath them disappeared altogether, swallowed up by that soft white, and thus leaving Sally with nothing else to stare at, save it be the blue sky.

Of course, this too eventually bored Sally, but by the time that boredom had registered in her mind, she found herself incapable of turning away from the sight or readjusting her position. Her body was far too exhausted to budge any farther, and her mind was much too spent for her to care any longer. But beyond that, she was exhausted emotionally, and she just didn't want to try. She didn't want to spend all that time and energy on something she wasn't ever going to accomplish. Especially since Sonic was gone.

Sonic. Why hadn't she moved beforehand? Why hadn't she actually thought about where she was and followed her instincts? Why couldn't she have gone faster and saved him?

Oh, she just wanted him home.

She just wanted him back…

* * *

><p>"Sally? Sally, wake up!"<p>

Groaning, Sally sluggishly swatted away at the voice. "Hol' on…" No thanks, no thanks. She was just going to sleep for a few more minutes…

"Come on Sally, get up! We're here!"

Here? Where was here? "Wha…?" Sally mumbled, her eyes attempting to flutter open slowly, but failing to accomplish even that small feat. "Where are we…?"

"Knothole."

Knothole? Oh… oh yes. That was right. That's where they were. Good old Knothole. Nice Knothole. Peaceful Knothole. Quiet Knothole… sleepy Knothole…

"Get up, Sally!" Just as her eyes drifted to a close, the boy's voice cut through her exhaustion, causing her eyes to snap open and her body to jolt awake. Goodness, had they made it to the humble hide-out so quickly? And hold the phone, had she actually managed to fall asleep? On the Tornado, no less?

"I didn't notice that you had fallen asleep until we landed." Tails told Sally as she stretched and yawned, awareness of her senses creeping in slowly. "And speaking of which, holy cow, Sally! You slept through the landing! You really were exhausted, weren't you?"

Nodding, Sally stood up out of her spot and glanced down at the boy who was standing beside his plane. "Yeah, and I still am." She told him, climbing up and jumping off the plane before she continued. "The nap helped, but I think I'm going to go lay down as soon as you leave."

"Sound like a plan." Tails told her as he glanced down at his watch. "And it looks like it's a plan you'll have to follow through with right now, because I've got to go. I've got some projects I've been meaning to work on lately, and before I can start any of those, there are a few people I need to go see right now."

"People to see and things to do?" Sally asked, taking in a deep breath as she placed her hands on her hips. "Friends that need help and all that good stuff?"

Inspired by Sally's yawn, Tails inhaled a deep gulp of air before speaking. "Yeah. I've been helping out around Vanilla and Cream's lately. Fixing up appliances and electronics, performing home maintenance, stuff like that. I've just been spending time at their house to get to know them better, become better friends with them and all that good stuff. Just been enjoying their company…"

Sally nodded, her gaze becoming distant and her attention span growing thin despite her attempts to listen. True to her word, she was as tired as could be. She was beginning to rock in her spot, her eyes were starting to droop closed, and her body had grown heavy. She was—

"Sally, are you going to be okay?"

Her heart skipping a beat from surprise at the question, Sally turned to face the boy. His eyes were storming with care and concern, but beneath that, a fresh layer of pain and heartache stirred. His shoulders were drooped low, and his lips were pressed into a light frown as he stared at her, waiting for her an answer that he probably already knew the answer to.

"I don't know, Tails." Sally sighed, her gaze falling and her eyes taking on an unmistakable emptiness. "I really don't know. I haven't the slightest idea if I'm going to be just fine and dandy a few months from now, or if I'm going to wake up every day and cry because he's gone. To be honest, I could see myself going either way. But do you know what?" She asked, taking in a deep breath and doing her best to pull a genuine smile.

"I'm going to try my hardest to be happy, because I know that that's what he'd want me to do." She told him, her tone bright and heavy at the same time. "And that's what he'd want you to do too, Tails. That's what he'd want all of us to do. He'd want us all to smile and laugh, even though he was gone. Right?"

His gaze set intently on her, Tails allowed a smile to grace his face a few moments after she had finished speaking. "Yeah, that's true. He'd want us to laugh and make jokes about how dumb he was…" He said, his smile escalating into a full-fledged, toothy grin before quietly dying back down to an almost nonexistent smirk.

"H always wanted that. And you know what? He wanted it because he was sure he'd die young. We all were. We were all convinced that he was going to die before he reached his eighteenth birthday. Heck, I remember that we always used to make jokes about it." Tails told her, a chuckle resting right beneath his lips, which died as quickly as it had been born. "But now that it's happened and he's actually gone… I realize how unprepared I was for it. Even though I always had that idea and image going off in the back of my mind, I convinced myself that it was never going to happen, because he was Sonic the Hedgehog, the death defying hero who never failed."

"I was fooled by his trap just as much as everyone else was, and I really wish I hadn't been. I really, really wish I hadn't been. But more than that, I really wish it had never had to been a trick in the first place. I wish he was still here with us. I wish I could have my brother back, Sally. I really do."

Smiling softly and speaking with the gentlest voice she could muster, Sally nodded. "I know Tails. I wish he was here too." And just beneath the surface, her broken heart took another hefty blow.

* * *

><p>Nicole had been with Sally since before her personality had even existed, since she had been nothing more than a fancy toy given to her by her father.<p>

She had been with the princess since the days before the coup, since the days Sally spent every waking hour around the palace playing and laughing and pushing that darn blue hedgehog around. She had watched as that single event, that one dark day had aged that five year old girl with an eternity more than what she ever should have dealt with. And Nicole had become her dear friend when that princess led her friends in the battle against Doctor Robotnik, all while standing side by side with the best friend who would one day become so much more to her. Nicole knew Sally Alicia Acorn better than anyone on Mobius, save it be Sonic the Hedgehog himself, so she knew exactly how Sally felt.

She understood how broken the princess really was.

When she got up after that long night of fitful sleep after Tails had left, Nicole could see it. She could see—even though the girl was doing everything in her power to hide it—how much it really hurt. Her spirits and heart had been shattered, reduced to mere fragments, splinters and shards of what they once had been. Every breath seemed to cut deep into her, rip apart her lungs and release her breaths as empty sighs. Yes, she knew she could exist without Sonic, like she had before. But no, after realizing how much she loved that hedgehog, she didn't want to.

Nicole understood that Sally was in pain. She understood how much it hurt to lose Sonic, for in reality, it had been the whole world who had had to say goodbye to the hero. Nicole herself was heart-broken because of his death, for right behind Sally, Sonic was her closest companion and best friend. Watching Sonic die had been heart-wrenching to put it lightly. But despite all this, Nicole knew best of all that Sally was the most hurt by his death, for she had lost the man she loved, and in return, he had lost the woman he loved. Though still real and complete and their own separate people, they had lost someone who had become a part of their hearts.

That in itself was one of things that hurt Nicole the most when she looked at her friend, for there were few things that the AI could think of that seemed worse. Was losing a parent that hard, or a brother, or even a friend? Did any of that compare to what Sally was feeling at the moment? Nicole didn't know. She didn't have the slightest idea. But oh, she wanted to help. She wanted to comfort her friend in any way she could, in any form she could think of. She wanted to gift her friend with the support she deserved… and thanks to the chaos emerald they currently wielded, Nicole could do just that.

The file, commands, and programs she was searching for were hidden in-between the secrets Elias himself had hidden during the siege on Knothole. Wedged in-between whispers that were worth more than Nicole could understand, the AI searched for that one thing that could help her in her quest. It had to be somewhere… was it this one, or maybe that one? Or was it that one hidden off to the side…?

"It's gotta be somewhere..." Nicole wandered, searching through libraries and labyrinths of code. "It's a huge file! I can't have lost it this easily. It was supposed to be such a key factor in that update Rotor was going to install… where did it—oh!" She exclaimed, pleasant surprise claiming her when she finally brushed against it. "There! Got it!"

The moment Nicole opened the program, a series of numbers and words rushed through her mind. Commands only she could understand flooded her, almost overwhelmed her and caused her circuits to fry until she reached out to the chaos emerald. When she grasped it, she allowed a moment for everything to catch up with her and connect in her mind before she took in a breath, nodded to herself—if uh, she could do that in her little device body—and began.

It took all the concentration she could gather to even begin her procedure, and continuing it took all that, plus a whole world's worth of whatever else she could muster to pay attention to what she was doing. Yet despite the fact that it was so complicated right off the bat, she was determined to finish it. If she could accomplish this goal for her friend—if she could offer this single consolation to her friend—it would all be worth it in the end.

That in itself drove Nicole to push herself even harder.

* * *

><p>Though she had no reason to do so, as she already was, virtually, alone, Sally sought solitude. After waking up and spending the majority of her morning with lots of picking stuff up and putting it somewhere else, doing whatever she could to keep the migraine at bay, Sally decided to walk off to a quiet spot in the woods, find the nicest looking log, sit down, and do anything but think. From there, she planned on saying and doing little, instead letting the wind fill the silence where her own voice was absent.<p>

It was a good and simple plan, and as a result, the wind took over for most of the conversation, for other than the occasional comment she made when she stepped over something or stumbled, Sally didn't speak a word on her way to her desired log.

Instead, as had become habit, once she found a proper log, she simply sat there and listened to the sounds of the wind rushing past her. Though it was soft, simple, and nearly nonexistent altogether, it did more than its fair share in distracting her from the thoughts, images, and words that demanded her attention. In the very least, too, it filled her with a quiet peace that calmed the raging storm, if only by a little bit…

Inhaling deeply, as the wind caused her hair to shift and sift ever so slightly, Sally closed her eyes and whispered to herself. "I just don't want to do this by myself…"

But even with that tiny hint of relief the wind supplied, there was no denying how alone she felt.

"I don't want to say goodbye to him…"

There simply was no hiding how much it hurt.

"I don't want him to go…"

There was no way she ever hope to conceal how much she missed that hedgehog… that young man she loved…

"I just want him back."

The moment the last syllable passed the princess's lips, a snap from the other direction—a single twig taken victim—caused Sally to jump and her ears to perk up. Without another word or thought, the girl shot up onto her feet, her arms raised in fists. Her brow furrowed and her lips creased together in a frown, she called out, "Who's there?" and waited for a response.

At first, no voice came. For a few seconds, her only companion was the gentle whistling of the wind, which caused her to slowly lower her guard. Perhaps she had been hearing things? Maybe a bird had snapped the twig, perhaps? After several long moments of waiting, Sally's ears perked up once again to the sound of gentle footsteps, which were quickly accompanied by a single Mobian who was peeking her head out from behind the trees.

"Oh," Sally sighed, lowering her fists and allowing her body to relax when the girl walked out from behind the tree and into plain sight. "You don't look dangerous. I'm sorry if I scared you."

The girl, a bit taller than her, yet more shy in comparison, glanced off to the side and nodded. "It's alright, Sally. You didn't."

Pure shock struck the Sally the moment the girl spoke, and claimed her whole when her own name resonated. Hold on a second. She sounded exactly like Nicole, right down to the way she had said Sally's name. Was… was this girl Nicole? Had Nicole somehow found a body to claim as her own? But wait, that didn't make sense! Nicole was her computer and one of her closest friends, and this girl… this girl was a Mobian! And a Mobian she had never seen before, at that!

The girl standing before Sally was a lynx with dark brown fur that covered most of her body, with patches of black splashed around her feet, arms, face, and ears. Her hair was jet black, and her bangs were swept off to the right, while the rest of her hair was allowed to hang free in the back, save it be when it came to the two sets of beads that featured hair that was longer than the rest. Eyes green as fresh grass remained fixated on the princess as the princess examined her in return, her gaze intently washing over her lack of shoes and purple dress, and everything else she could take in. Was this… was this really who she thought it was? Or was she so stressed out that she had just started jumping to any and every conclusion she could think of?

After staying still for the most part for several long moments, the lynx girl in question sighed and turned her gaze downwards. Then, ever so quietly, she looked back at the princess, swallowed, and moved forward. Before she knew it, she was standing directly in front of the girl, the chipmunk-squirrel hybrid who looked as if she had been struck by lightning itself.

"Is… is that you, Nicole?" Sally asked, bewilderment causing her words to release in shaky stutters.

Stealing a second to examine her hand—goodness, that was strange—Nicole nodded in response. "Yes, it's me."

Awestruck, Sally's mouth fell open into a wide gap. "How… how did you do that? You look just like a real Mobian. Did you use a hologram, or—?"

Before Sally could even think of finishing her sentence, Nicole clasped her hands gently down on Sally's shoulders. When they connected, a gasp slipped past Sally's lips.

"Holy cow, I can feel that!" Sally exclaimed. "How are you doing that?"

Shrugging, Nicole glanced off to the side. "Nanites. But I'll tell you more about that later, because I actually have a reason for this. Other than for surprising you."

Raising her eyebrows, Sally questioned, "You have a reason?"

Nodding yet again, Nicole took in a deep breath. "Yes. I just… I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you, Sally." The AI told her, causing her friend's expression to change all at once from one of surprise, to the all too familiar face of painful remembrance. "And even though I can't help the hurting go away, I can do this for you, and I hope that this helps, if only a little."

She hoped that what would help? What exactly was she talking about? Just as the princess opened her mouth to ask the AI what she meant, Nicole pulled her into a tight embrace, a hug so strong that at first, it quite literally left the princess breathless. Wait, what? Hold on a second. Had… had Nicole created her nanite form just so she could comfort her friend? Just so she could give her a hug of all things?

"I know it's not much, Sally." Nicole whispered, her voice soft and oh so careful. "But I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I'm here for you, whether you want to laugh or cry, or whatever. I'm here."

Her words, though simple and few in number, left Sally speechless. She… she really had been willing to do something so difficult like this for her? And… and she was… she was honestly that set on helping her? Even when she was always so… so… so…

A flood of emotions rushed the girl and caused her eyes to fill with tears. Before she could even hope to do anything about it, the princess was crying in her friend's grasp, holding on tight to one of the few sources of comfort she still had.

"I just… I want him back, Nicole. He… he was finally… he was back." She cried, her words almost incoherent within her quiet sobs. "I miss him. I don't want… I don't want to do all this without him. I don't want to have to find the Freedom Fighters all by myself, and I don't want to fight Eggman, and I don't want to lead everyone without him and… and I… Nicole, I want him back."

Hugging her dear friend closer, Nicole nodded, patting her back in an attempt to soothe her. "I know, Sally. I know. We all want him back." She told her, her voice gentle as she looked up to the sky for the first time in her life. "We all do."

Other than the two friends, the forest was empty, and very quiet.

* * *

><p>The princess has come to realize in full how hard it will be without her hero. Will it be possible to accomplish all of those goals without him? Even with the company of Nicole, who has created herself a body of nanites, Sally is unsure of herself. But beyond all that, she is heartbroken. Of all the things she had to lose, did it really have to be him?<p>

It took a while to upload because of school and a really awesome trip I just went on, but here it is! The second to last chapter of Fragile has been posted! And poor Sally... is there any hope left for her? You'll just have to have to stay tuned, because the next and final of chapter of Fragile is just around the corner! Because I'm done with school and so excited for the next one, you won't have to wait too long for it. :D Additionally, shortly after I finish Fragile, I will be going back to earlier chapters and fixing them up a bit. After a fix them up, I'll also be uploading them to deviantArt account. Sweet!

Also, as a random side note, yes, Nicole's nanite form is taller than Sally. Sally is actually pretty short in the Fragile universe.

Thanks to all the reviews from Solarknight117, Thomas Holmes II, fighterofflames, and the Guest, and thanks for all follows, and favorites. Thanks to all you quiet readers as well! You're constant support of this story means a lot to me!

Until next time! :D


	34. In Spite of Everything, He Will Run

** Chapter 34: In Spite of Everything, He Will Run for Her**

He had sat in that field for a week. Yes, he had been there for an entire stinking week. With his head buried in his knees and his arms wrapped tight around his legs, the hedgehog had refused to move for anything. Even with all the verbal poking and prodding that came to him, courtesy of the woman in black, he hadn't budged within the seven days he had been separated from his body. In fact, the blue blur hadn't looked up from his spot, dared to speak, or even allow himself to do something as insignificant as twitch. To call him stubborn, needless to say, was a drastic understatement.

For several long stretches of time, neither Sonic nor the woman said anything to one another. Other than the occasional question or statement, which always belonged to the woman, silence ruled the space in-between the two of them. It wasn't until the middle of the seventh day that finally, defeated in whatever quest she had encountered on, the woman sighed and spoke.

"You were never afraid of me before, hero." She supposed, her solid voice spreading into every corner of the air, demanding all attention and finally causing Sonic to stir from his spot and ever so slowly, glance at her past folded arms. "You have faced me time and time again before, and never once have you shuttered. In fact, if I do say so myself, you have greeted me as an old friend during all our brief meetings. It's simply not like you to be so reluctant in our encounters."

Gradually, as he lowered his arms and sat up a bit straighter, the hedgehog turned to face her in full. "So tell me why, hero, you are so hesitant this time to meet me. Why do you ignore me? Is it that girl of yours? Is it the image of your princess that keeps you tied to your life this time?" But the moment she turned to look at him in return, the hedgehog turned back away.

Yet rather than hiding his face, however, the hedgehog readjusted himself so his he could look towards his own body—as strange and messed up as that sounded—and rest his chin on his folded arms. Though he didn't respond to her right off the bat, for he spent a few moments listening to the breeze, he did, in fact, eventually speak to her for the first time.

"If you want the honest truth, then yes. It's Sally that's keeping me from leaving, and it's Sally that's going to keep me from leaving." He explained, his voice both heavy and harsh at the same time. "And there's nothing you can do about that, just so you know."

If it could have been called as much, the woman released a single, short lived chuckle. "Is that so? And why does this… Sally of ours keep you from leaving?"

Gritting his teeth together, the hedgehog growled, already fully frustrated with her attitude. "Why else? I love her, and I don't want her to be alone. Or to be more accurate, I don't want to leave her at all."

Though he wasn't looking at her, he was pretty sure that the stupid woman was smiling smugly underneath that ugly hood of hers. "You love her? That never swayed you before, hero. Even with all of this care you harbored for her beforehand, you never once seemed afraid of what laid beyond the grave without her."

Hissing, Sonic quickly snapped back. "That's because I hadn't realized how much she meant to me back then. Although I've always loved her, I never understood how much is would hurt to lose her until I almost did."

"When she jumped and nearly succeeded, and then again with the chaos spears. Correct?" Sonic nodded, and the woman hummed, as if in deep thought.

"I realized at that moment that there was nothing worse I could think of that I could ever go through in my life, and I realized how much it would hurt to say goodbye to her." The hedgehog explained, his brow creased together to synthesize an expression of pain and rage. "And now, despite everything I've done to keep it from happening, I've had to do just that. I saved her life, but now we've been separated. I've been forced to say goodbye, but the fact of the matter is that I'm not ready for that. There are still so many things I wanted to do with her, and so many things I wanted to say. I love her, for crying out loud! I don't want to leave her, and I know for a fact that she doesn't want me to leave either."

Silence, for a brief moment, descended and claimed the hedgehog. Yet just as the woman opened her mouth to leave some sort of a snarky or wise comment, which Sonic had been expecting, the hedgehog continued once again.

"But if all of that isn't bad enough, I've also left all my family and friends behind. Heck, I've abandoned all of Mobius! What exactly are they supposed to do without me? I'm their hero! I'm the one that's supposed to keep all of them safe! How am I supposed to do that if I'm dead? I'll tell you how I'll do it." The hedgehog exclaimed, shooting up onto his feet without a proper warning, his words gradually becoming faster, angrier, and more passionate with each second. "I won't. Not when I'm dead."

"I've left behind my duty as a hero, my parents, my uncle, my dog, my brother, all my friends, and the girl I love. I know that they could all go on to live long and happy lives without me, but the fact of the matter is that I want to be there with them. I don't want this right now. Even with all of the crap we were going through, it felt as if everything was going perfect!" He exclaimed, his voice having escalated into full-scaled shouting. "We had so many things we were going to do, and we had so many people we were going to rescue. We had so many things that were going right. But what can I do about all that now? What can I do to help Sally out in all of those things we were going to do? Absolutely nothing. And I _hate _that." He hissed, his eyes narrowing as he grit his teeth together and balled his hands into fists, his fury peaking and causing him to finally lash out in one, final screech.

"I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!"

Taking in a series of deep breaths, Sonic sighed, shook his head, and without another word, dropped back down to the ground. "After feeling like I was going nowhere for so long, I thought I'd finally found that place I was searching for. No, I _had _found it." He whispered, thoroughly defeated, and oh so very sad. "And you know what? I'd thought I was finally there to stay."

Curiosity having claimed her as its own when the hedgehog stopped speaking, the woman in black questioned, "What do you mean by that place?"

Allowing several moments to calm himself, Sonic eventually sighed and pulled his legs close to his chest again. "I'd found that place where I could be genuinely happy again. I found that place with Sally, but now… now I'm dead. Dead of all things. Can you believe it?" He asked, his voice accompanied with a brief chuckle before it swiftly died down to a gentle whisper. "I'd… I'd do anything to get that back." The hedgehog stated, burying his face once again in his knees. "I'd do anything to see her again. To be home…" And with that, he became quiet.

For a long time, neither of them said anything. Other than the mild murmur of the wind, the world had fallen to a unanimous hush. Of course, given the fact that the woman in black was so curious, that hush didn't last long. "She made you feel like you were at home? But I thought you detested the slow life. Aren't you supposed to be the embodiment of freedom? The physical manifestation of the wind itself?"

Releasing a short, "Ha," the hedgehog shook his head. "The wind already has a physical manifestation, thank you very much. I met him personally."

The woman replied with a low hum, regarded the hedgehog's body before them, and spoke. "But when it comes to freedom, I believed…?"

"The opposition of freedom isn't love or home. And it certainly isn't Sally, either."

"Really?" The woman asked, her voice filled with an odd accumulation of pleasant surprise. "And here I thought you hated the idea of being tied down."

"Tied down?" Sonic asked rhetorically. "You still think I view a life with Sally as being tied down?"

Though she was sure she wouldn't have the chance to, the woman opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but the moment she did, the young man took over.

"I don't remember meeting Sally Alicia Acorn. In fact, I don't even remember a time when she wasn't there in my life in some way, shape, or form. Sally has been a part of my life since before I could walk on my own two feet, and I've been a part of hers since before she could form a single coherent sentence. We've been a part of each other for our entire lives, through thick and thin and good and bad."

"We spent every day together when we were little. As babies, and then as toddlers, and then as kids, we were always laughing, playing, and goofing off together. When I was six and she was five, though, we watched as Doctor Robotnik turned on the Kingdom of Acorn and flip our world upside-down. We lost family and friends alike on that day, and as children, we personally witnessed the destruction of our own home. Together, we saw the fall of an entire kingdom, our whole world, and we found ourselves scampering away with our tails hidden between our legs, more terrified than ever before."

"For a long time, we had lost hope. But when we decided one day that we weren't going to take his crap—when we decided that we weren't just going to sit there and accept his evil—we stood side by side and hand in hand to take him down. Together, we fought for our freedom, along with all of our friend and allies who refused to be stomped on and choked out. Together, we had to fight to be free. Never once did we ever have a 'slow' moment within all of our fighting and day-to-day living. Never."

"Through everything I did and tried to do, Sally was always there for me. Even if I had nothing to show for my bruises and broken bones by the end of the day, Sally was always there, more than willing to comfort me and build up my hopes when I couldn't do the same for her, more than happy to give me a hug if my spirits had been broken. Despite my enormous ego and obvious jerkiness at times, she never once gave up on me. And in turn, I never gave up on her."

Finally pulling his gaze skywards once again, Sonic exhaled heavily, his gaze distant, sad, and yet filled with pride towards the woman he cared so much for. "Even though I did for a time treat a relationship with her as a ball and chain, I never one believed that Sally herself was a prison. To call her something as lowly as a jail would be an insult to her in nastiest method possible. No, calling her that just wouldn't be fair at all."

"After nearly losing her, my friends, and my family time and time again, I've come to realize that they never once served as my jailer. They've never kept me from being or feeling free." Sonic held, his voice soft, barely above a whisper, but so undeniably and incredibly powerful. "No. They've always been so much more than that. Sally's always been more than that to me. She always has been, and she always will be."

The wind, a tender and gentle whisper, swept in-between the two figures the moment the last breath crept past the hedgehog's lips. Though soft and nearly inaudible, it harbored an incomprehensible authority and strength. As impossible as it seemed, it screeched and it screamed, it tore the air apart, and it ripped the heavy and dark aura that had befallen upon the woman and the hedgehog into tiny, bite-sized pieces. All at once and without so much as a single notice, the almighty aura of the woman in black had been torn away, and instead bestowed to the blue hero who at first seemed so small and insignificant.

Ha… how…?

Thunderstruck at the magnificence and majesty the hedgehog's words had claimed, now quivering in her spot, the woman, ever so carefully, shared her query. "Then… what exactly is she, to you, hero?"

Stealing an eternity to allow the breeze to rush through him, to take in the sunlight, and to feel the ground moving beneath him, the hedgehog took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and spoke.

"She is my freedom."

His words, though few in number and so seemingly unimportant at a first thought, struck the woman like a ton of bricks. They caused her to step back and release a quiet gasp as if she was in pain, as if she was in more shock than she had ever believed to be possible. Was—was it—how did—hold on—why did—wait—how—?

Was it really _that_ of all things…? Was she really so… so important to him? Did she really mean that much to him?

When Sonic heard her voice again, after an entire minute of silence had passed, he was more than startled. For when he heard her again, when she finally decided to made it be known that she was still there, it wasn't a snarky reply or a shocked sentence that reached him. It was a laugh. A laugh of all things. And no, it wasn't just any laugh: it was a hysterical, full-scale, full-body-consuming and all-powerful laugh that was probably accompanied with tears and an aching diaphragm.

Turning to look at her, claimed by confusion, annoyance, and surprise simultaneously, the hedgehog furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth together, unleashing a low growl within his chest, subtle enough that she couldn't catch it. Excuse me, what on Mobius was her problem? Had she found his words to be funny? Amusing? Weak, perhaps? Though he had half a mind at that moment to shoot up onto his feet and find some way to punch her in the face, the woman's laughing eventually came to an end as she stood up straight and spoke.

"I never would have guessed, dear hero of Mobius, that a single person could ever mean so much to you." She declared confidently. "You truly do love this Sally of yours, don't you? You love her more than most would be able to comprehend. I must admit, your dedication to her is impressive. It's been a long time since I've seen devotion like this."

Huffing, Sonic turned away from the woman. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm dead. No matter how much I love and care for her, I won't be able to protect her if my heart isn't beating. I'm dead, and that's all there is to it. I'm useless. I'm done." And finally fed up with everything that was rushing through his mind and heart, the hedgehog buried himself again behind folded arms, silent, still, and defeated all at once.

Her eyes set heavily upon the hedgehog, even as he refused to move or speak, the woman exhaled deeply. "You have surprised me, hero. You honestly and truly have. Do you realize how rare of a feat that is? No one has accomplished anything like that in several millennia. I now see why everyone looks to as their hero… you are worthy of your title."

The hedgehog didn't respond. So the woman continued. "And perhaps… that is why I'm willing to do this."

Against his better judgment, Sonic questioned the woman. "This…?"

Her voice light, as if a smile was gracing her lips, she replied. "I'm going to offer you a deal, hero." She told him, his ears instantly perking up and causing him to look up once again. "I'm going to give you something that most people would kill to have. I'm going to give you a second chance."

A second chance? A second—had he heard that right? Was she serious? His heart skipped a beat the moment she stopped, or in the very least, it felt like his heart had skipped a beat, and without a second thought, the hedgehog shot up onto his feet and twirled around. "What kind of deal?" He asked, his eyes wide, and his rage all but melted away. "What do you want for it?"

Releasing a soft chuckle as she stood up straight, causing her to tower over the hedgehog, the woman smiled. "It is a steep price to attain what you wish for, hero, but I'm sure that that won't be a problem for you. You said earlier that you were willing to give up anything if you could see her again, correct?" Sonic nodded rapidly, and the smile on the woman's lips widened into a full-fledged, toothy grin. "Your memories then, hero. Of everyone you've ever seen and met, of everyone you've loved and hated, save it be the memories of yourself and your beloved."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Sonic asked, "My memories?"

"Yes." The woman confirmed, her gaze turning skyward. "All of your memories. And no, just in case you were wondering, you'd never be able to get them back. They would be lost to you for—"

"Deal."

The single word, sudden and firm, cut right through the woman, forced her to come to a screeching halt, and caused her to stare down at the hedgehog. "Excuse me?" The woman asked, once again claimed by surprise, courtesy of the blue blur himself.

"You heard me." Sonic stated, his tone sturdy and strong, "I said deal. I'll take your offer."

Flabbergasted, the woman shook her head. "You're not going to stop and think it over? You're not even going to consider all the repercussions that could occur? Don't you realize what you're giving up? These are your memories, hero. You won't be able to get them back. You won't remember your family or your friends, or even that madman—"

"I already know that, lady." Sonic interrupted sharply, his voice filled with an undeniable irritation beneath his confidence. "And I don't care. I mean, yeah, it is going to be a bit harder to deal with everyone when I can't even remember their names, but…" he started, trailing off for an instant, his gaze becoming distant before all at once, his resolve returned to him in full and forced him to stand tall. "It doesn't matter to me. Even if I don't remember them, they're still my friends and family. I can always make new memories with them. And besides all that, won't they be happier to have me there with them? Will it matter if I'm back on Mobius doing what I do best? Will it mean anything if I'm with Sal?"

As had become their tradition, before the woman could add her own thoughts to his words, the hedgehog shot a pointed thumb to his chest and declared, "They're my memories, and it's my life. I decide what happens with them. And I say we have a deal." So with a pointed finger in her direction, the hedgehog sent that signature toothy grin of his to her and spoke. "So let's do this thing."

Quietly, allowing the surprise to run its course through her body and die off, the woman finally nodded, smiled, and chuckled. "As you wish, hero."

As soon as the breath on her tongue died off and without bothering to inform the hedgehog of what she was doing, the woman threw her hand up, motioned it towards Sonic, and with a flick of her wrist, awakened an inferno of pain within him. Without having to physically touch him, the woman reached inside, grabbed hold of everyone he held dear, and pulled.

He came so close to screaming. The moment she had grabbed onto that everything within him, his body flared alive with an all-consuming agony that tore throughout his being, caused him to tremble and shake and quake in his spot, and rip at his mind in a furious attempt to destroy it. Hurt—almost as sharp as the chaos spear itself—claimed the hedgehog in full. It took everything he had to simply stand on his own two feet, and it took even more than that to keep himself from crying out.

At first, everything she was reaching for fought desperately against her grasp. Lodged deep within his very soul, they refused to budge in the slightest. They weren't going to leave, and it was as simple as that, for they were a part of him. If they were to disappear, what would become of him? What would he do without them? Would he even stand a chance in the world? Yet as firm as their foundation within him stood, and as strong as their determination to stay with him burned, they were no match for the woman's power.

It took little effort for her to loosen them, pull them from their place, and rip apart all the threads that held them there, leaving them to float freely within Sonic for the first time. The moment the last strand snapped, the hero gasped, stumbled backward, and almost fell altogether. While the aching that had stolen him came to screeching halt, a powerful tremor quickly took its place and made its voyage through him. Riding right alongside it, an overwhelming darkness soared, swallowing up every inch of his being, and forcing his eyes to a close before he could open his mouth in protest. All at once, he plunged deep into the blackness.

He drifted within that darkness for what felt like a millennia, and for a while, he believed himself to have somehow died yet again. Had he fallen prey to the darkness that swept over him? Had the woman instead silenced him and finally taken him away? Had everything she told him been some sort of a cruel trick to get him to leave? Was he gone for good?

Sonic's mind had barely begun to wander when he suddenly became aware of the strange feeling that was budding in his chest. Slowly, as he was pulled back to his senses and as his eyes opened once more, he felt that strange something creep up and through him, eventually traveling through his throat, and before long, reach his mouth, where he felt it try to escape past his lips. Was… was it… were those…?

Though his mouth had been hanging open in a soft gap as he stood there, watching and waiting for that something of his to vanish, they were only able to leave when his lips parted in full. From there, ever so carefully, as if they knew themselves of how valuable they were, he felt them trail away from him, pass his lips, and steal the breath from his lungs. He saw, with his chest lifted slightly and his head and arms drawn back involuntarily, a light mist—a light itself, tinted ever so slightly with blue—escape and trail off towards the woman in black. And deep inside where he was completely alone, he watched as everyone he ever met and saw, everyone he hated and loved faded away.

His mother and father. Uncle Chuck. Muttski. Bunnie. Antoine. Rotor. Knuckles. Shadow. Amy. Cream and Cheese. Silver. Blaze. Even Doctor Eggman and Snively. Slowly but surely, the images of them, their voices, their actions, their choices, their personalities, their care for them, his care for them, and even their names; every bit of it was stolen away. Every hint of it was taken from him, never to be returned, never to be seen again.

It hit him in full, only as he watched his little brother disappear, only as Tails disappeared, how much it hurt to say goodbye. The moment the last bit of it passed his lips and left his being, he closed his eyes and slowly covered his mouth, releasing a weak gasp, suddenly aware of how much he cared for everyone. Suddenly aware of how much he loved them all.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, breathless as a single tear ran down his cheek, as he stood there, slumped over, with his eyes clenched closed. "But it will be worth it. It… it will all be…" Yet even as he stood there, fighting his hardest to even finish his sentence, he felt the words slip off his tongue, his form loosen altogether, and the pain die off. "Worth it."

All that was left was himself and Sally.

When the hedgehog opened his eyes, feeling oddly weak on his feet and rather out of breath, he was shocked to find that a single tear had streaked down his face. "What… what the heck?" He asked himself, quickly but discreetly wiping it away. "Ugh, what are you crying for, Sonic? Man up."

As he took in a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, doing his best to steady his breathing and regain his balance, the hedgehog questioned the woman in black, still aware, somehow, of her and who she was. "Hey, lady. You say you've met me time and time again before, but I still don't know your name. Who are you, anyway?"

Silence was Sonic's answer at first, and for a split second following the silence, he believed she had disappeared on him. "_Who am I_?" But when the woman responded, her voice powerful and strong, yet undeniably empty and cold at the same time, her words sent a wicked shiver up and down the hedgehog's spine. "_You ask who I am, hero_?"

Against every voice that was screaming in his head that told him not to, and against every hint of better judgment he possessed, in both curiosity and fear, the hedgehog looked up to the woman. The moment his eyes finally met hers, he froze solid. She towered over him, and her cloak was nothing more than shredded black cloth, and she had black feathery wings outstretched on her back, and her hands were bone even though they hadn't been like that earlier, and she was holding a huge scythe, and it felt so dark around her, and, and, and—

Her eyes. They were so cold. So empty. So merciless. So completely, utterly, and incredibly—

"_I_," The hedgehog blinked, jumped, as he realized that she had rushed at him and was suddenly standing mere inches away from him, "_am Death_." And realized too late that she had swung her scythe at him—

And he screamed, threw his arms up to shield himself, and sat up off the grassy field, his heart racing, his lungs pumping, and his eyes opened wide. He had… he had just… she had almost… whoa.

Inhaling heavily, Sonic swallowed and shuttered. That had been close. Too close. One more second, and he would have been… well, what would he have been? If he was already dead and she proceeded to sliced him in half, would that just make him doubly dead? Dead and a half? Or just a half-bodied spirit thing? As he questioned himself internally, Sonic sighed, scratched his head, and took in another deep breath. Such odd questions he asked himself. Did he really have to be so odd about things all the time? Exhaling, Sonic shrugged to himself, shook his head, and—

Hold on a second, back it up just a bit. His heart was racing? As in it was beating? As in he was…?

The moment the dots connected together in the hedgehog's head, his heart skipped yet another beat, and without a single word, he looked down at himself, at his body itself, and grinned. He was alive! His heart was pumping, his lungs were inflating and deflating, holy freaking crap, he was actually alive!

A laugh resting just beneath his lips and an energy sparking within his chest, Sonic jumped up onto his feet and twirled around to inspect himself, feeling each muscle on his body as he laughed. He simply couldn't believe it. It had actually worked! He was back! And goodness, there wasn't a single thing wrong with him! There was no gaping hole in his chest, no bloody fur, no unfortunate breathing problem or case of heart failure, nothing! He was one hundred percent ready to go, and without a single—

When his left hand met his right shoulder; when his fingers brushed against a single patch of skin that felt slightly softer than the rest, the hero stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened ever so slightly, his heart paused, and gently, as he pulled his hand away, the hero turned to examine it. The single patch of skin he had felt, to his wonder, was several shades lighter than the rest and possessed the same shape of what had once been a deep gash in his shoulder.

It was a scar from the first chaos spear that had ripped into him after destroying the Eggxterminator, a reminder of the wound that had set off all the alarms in his mind. It had been the first warning to him that Sally's life was in danger. Now, it only served as a reminder to what had happened. Well, truthfully, it served as only one of the reminders to what had happened.

When that single thought crossed his mind, Sonic's gaze shifted from his shoulder to his fluff of chest fur. Ever so carefully, as if his actions harbored the power to rip him apart, he ran his fingers through the fluff of fur, shifting it off to the side so he could properly see what he was searching for. And sure enough, as he had known, there laid another light scar, resting just above his heart.

There laid the proof of what he had done for her.

Taking in a deep breath as he placed his hand over the scar, Sonic closed his eyes and faced the sky. Exhaling heavily, he whispered that single name that was ruling his world. "Sal…" And he smiled softly, opening his eyes to stare up the reddened sky that was gradually becoming darker.

He had done it for her. And now, he was coming back.

With a toothy grin that would have outshone the sun itself, Sonic nodded, turned towards his home, and ran.

* * *

><p>Sally's migraine had returned, stronger than ever, only a day after Nicole had first created her nanite body, and no, medicine didn't help. But then, as she had expected, neither did sleep, or plenty of water, or healthy foods, or special herbs, or anything she could think of. No matter what Sally did, nothing would silence the drumming in her head. And no matter how hard she tried, nothing could calm the storm raging within.<p>

This storm of hers, at the surface, appeared absolutely nothing like a storm at all. Instead, at a first glance, it looked like an abandoned home, an empty wasteland, a forgotten world long since left hallow. On the surface, it appeared as if Sally felt nothing. But underneath, she felt nothing but grief.

She did her very best to hide her storm from Nicole. Whenever her friend would speak to her through her new wristwatch computer from, or whenever she'd round the corner in her nanite body, she'd quickly perk up. She'd speak as if nothing was bothering her and she'd stand tall as if she was confident in everything she was doing. And even though she didn't completely stomp out her sorrow altogether, for the two of them still made an effort to talk about how much they missed Sonic, Sally did everything within her power to drown it out.

But as she learned over the days she and Nicole spent in Knothole, there was going to be no quick fix to the bitter mix of numbness and pain that had claimed her, body and soul. It was going to take numerous late nights of talking and crying it out, of laughing over dumb things that usually wouldn't be funny in any other circumstances, of pigging out and freaking out over how much weight she had gained as a result. Most of all, though, it was going to take time. It would take lots of time… loads of time… years, maybe… time Sally didn't want to spend without him.

The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon, with only a faint breath of sunlight lingering in the sky when Sally decided that she needed to take a breather. After a long day of trying to accomplish things but not being able to do so, Sally finally was overpowered by the load weighing down on her shoulders. When the stress finally broke through, she came close to tears, shook her head, and ran her fingers through her hair. "I hate this." She said to herself, the migraine pounding heavier with each breath and every heartbeat. "I'm done. I'm so done with this."

So without bothering to finish up what she had been working off, Sally took off, her brisk pace almost a run. Mere moments after she had gone, Nicole's nanite form materialized behind her. "Sally, are you alright? Do you need me to get you some water or headache medicine?"

The princess shook her head, taking in a series of deep and even breaths in an attempt to keep herself from crying. "I'm okay. I just need some time to think."

"Are you sure?" The AI asked, tempted to reach a hand out to her friend for comfort. "I'd be more than happy to grab you something. It really isn't any trouble."

Fighting her hardest to keep her friend from seeing her expression, Sally continued onward. "It's fine, but thank you for offering, Nicole. That means a lot to me."

Though she knew for a fact that she was, indeed, not fine, Nicole nodded, her expression overcome with concern toward her friend. "You're welcome. Do you mind if I go back to my computer?"

Sally's response was quiet, but quick. "Yeah, that's fine."

So Nicole nodded, mostly to herself, and took one last glimpse at Sally before dispelling her nanite form and returning to the computer. She was worried for her friend, and it hurt to see her in such a sad and lowly state, but by this point, she didn't know what to do to help her. She was broken, and even with all the knowledge she possessed and could attain, Nicole didn't have the slightest idea as to how her pieces would fit back together. And even if she did know how, she was certain that she wouldn't be the one who could do it.

"I hate this." Sally whispered, a fresh wave of tears finally spilling over onto her cheeks and causing Sally to quickly wipe them away. "I want him back. I want him home."

* * *

><p>He was soaring across the ground, flying through the land, running so fast that he could barely even breathe in-between the elated laughs he released. Nothing more than a blue blur to any passerbys who might have seen him—nothing more than the title he had been gifted with by the people and world he saved—Sonic ran. He ran to his home, to Knothole, and more important than any of that, he ran to her. He ran to the girl who made it home for him.<p>

He dashed faster than he ever had before in his life, a smile unlike any other adorning his lips. Excitement, jubilation, pure euphoria in the purest form coursed through his veins, spider-webbed and electrified his blood to the point that, even though he was exhausted, he couldn't find it within himself to stop. Even if ended up passing out afterward, he simply had to keep going. The faster he ran and the fewer stops he made, the sooner he could see her. The sooner he would be home. To him, nothing else mattered.

The sun had fallen behind the horizon long before Sonic found the forest, with the last glimmers of daylight dying off before he even came close to spotting the mass of trees and greenery. Shortly taking its place in the sky was a host of stars and light, and a moon that slowly began to ascend and claim its throne in the sky. As it rose, its light gradually began to spill in-between the leaves and branches of the trees, pour down onto the ground beneath, and light the path that lay before the hero.

Before any of it was able to prove beneficial, however, thanks to a lighting quick combination of the foliage thickening and a dense layer of clouds that had rolled in above the forest, the moonlight died away, hidden for a later date. Luckily, by the time droplets of rain had begun to slip past the tree-tops above and onto the ground below, Sonic had already found the place he had been searching for: Knothole village. It was quiet and empty, dark and mostly untouched, but the moment Sonic noticed the first hut and literal treehouse, he felt a familiar warmness bloom in his chest.

It felt just like the home he had laughed and played in, the home he had struggled and fought in, the home he had grown up in all those years ago. And yet, as he ran through the expanse of the hidden village, he couldn't help but notice that there was something missing. There was one key factor not present; the one thing that really made it home.

Where was Sally? Was she in her home, fast asleep and burrowed in her dreams? Was she in his home, sifting through possession and memories and dumb little jokes? Was she was in the mess hall, fixing herself a snack or simply reminiscing? Or perhaps, maybe she was—oh yes. Yes, that's where she was. There was no doubt about it.

Sonic didn't miss a beat when he made his turn. Before he could blink twice, he had twisted himself around and took off in the direction of the Lake of Rings, his heartbeat and breathing pace finally catching up with him so that a steady drumming started up in his head. He was almost there, he was so close! So close, so close, so close to her, and—

All at once, the hero came to a silent stop. Smiling softly, he placed his hand on the tree next to him, both to catch his breath and to take a moment to steady himself. There, sitting on the mini dock in a slouched position, her feet dangling above the water, was none other than Sally Acorn. It was her.

At the sight of her, the hedgehog's heart fluttered and skipped a beat. There she was, there she really was, alive and there, and oh so very real. She was there, right there, and all he had to do was walk up to her. That was it. But… what exactly was he supposed to say to her, anyway? What _wasn't_ he supposed to say? What did people usually say in such crazy situations as the one he had found himself in?

A subtle surge of anxiety crept up on the hero and threatened to claim him as he stood there and stared at her, but as soon as that fear had been born, Sonic shook his head and shoved it back down into the pit it had crawled out of. No, he wasn't going to let something as stupid as nerves get the best of him. He wasn't even going to consider it. This was Sally Acorn right before him. This was his best friend, his closest comrade, and the love of his life. Nothing was going to stop him, and nothing was going to stand in his way.

Nothing.

Standing up straight with a smirk on his face, Sonic stepped out from under the tree and into the open space surrounding the lake as he called out to her casually, "Hey Sal," He said, causing her to jump from her spot on the dock. "Isn't it a bit late to still be outside? Shouldn't you be heading to bed right about now?"

He paused when he reached the beginning of the dock, and waited until, ever so slowly, she turned to face him, eyes wide and unbelieving. The moment her eyes met his, his smirk morphed into a modest smile, and Sally's mouth fell open into a gap.

Nodding to himself and taking another few steps towards her, Sonic spoke again, closing his eyes as Sally stood up on the dock to face him. "Not to mention, it is sort of raining right now." He told her, opening his eyes when he was standing a mere few feet away from her. "Wouldn't you rather be inside where it's dry? If you stay out here for too much longer, you might end up getting sick."

Her eyes as wide as dinner plates as she stood there and looked at him, her gaze racing across his body from head to toe, Sally shook her head. "You… you're…" She stuttered, carefully reaching a single wobbly hand out towards him, scared that if she touched him, he'd fade away.

"Yeah, I know." Sonic sighed, carefully taking hold of her outstretched hand before he closed the space in-between the two of them, gently wrapping his free arm around her, and thus causing a soft gasp to pass her lips. "I'm here."

The moment his hand had grabbed onto hers, the very second his skin and her fur met, Sally felt her heart skip what must have been a thousand and one beats within her chest. Ha… how was… how…? But he couldn't be. He… he had…

Her initial thought when she had heard his voice and seen him standing there was that she had started hallucinating, and that finally, all of the stress and heartache had caught up with her. There was simply no way he could have actually been standing there, smiling at her, alive and well as if nothing was wrong. It simply wasn't possible. No, it wasn't even conceivable. She had held him in her arms when his heart stopped beating. She had watched him _die_. And yet here he stood, holding onto one of her hands with his other arm wrapped gently around her, smiling at her and speaking like nothing had really changed.

Disbelief and a crippling sense of fear claiming her, Sally found herself incapable of looking away from his emerald green eyes. "And you know what? Now that I'm here, I can feel that something's a bit off with your natural chaos energy. So if you give me one second," but the moment he pulled his hand up, touched two fingers to her forehead, and whispered, "Chaos regeneration." She felt all the pain from her migraine melt away, and along with it, she discovered a hidden reserve of courage. "I can fix it right up. Does that feel better?"

She didn't respond to him with spoken words. Instead, though she did so slowly, as she waited to see if anything else would happen or any additional words would be shared, the girl eventually allowed her eyes to trail downward to his chest. Had… had he always been that much taller than her? She barely reached his shoulder, even when she stood up straight. Had he always towered above her like that? Or had that just been when they had met up in the woods for that first time in years?

Shaking away the silly thoughts and questions, Sally swallowed, took in a deep breath, and with the same shaky hand that he had released to heal her, carefully ran her fingers through his chest fur. The hedgehog watching her was completely silent as she did so, standing still and tall as she searched for it. As she searched for the proof that he was real and alive, and here and not a dream.

It took so little time for her to find it. The moment the right fluff of fur had been pushed away and her eyes met the light scar, a gasp forced its way up Sally's throat. Covering her mouth with the free hand, Sally took a step back (which stood undisturbed, as Sonic released her as soon as she had moved), and gawked at the hedgehog, trembling in her boots as she stood there, the rain gradually picking up at the same time. It was… he was…

When the princess stepped away from him, her heart racing and her breathing picking up in speed, Sonic's own heart skipped a beat, both from surprise and a hint of guilt. Not knowing what exactly he was supposed to do, after a few moments of silence had passed, the hedgehog glanced off to the side, his cheeks burning red as he pulled his hand up behind his head nonchalantly in an attempt to appear calm, cool, and collected as he voiced his apology.

"Sal, I'm really sorry about everything that happened. If I had stopped to think about what I was doing, maybe we wouldn't have ended up in this big mess. Maybe we wouldn't have had to go through all this crap. I guess even now, I still never really learn. Kind of sad," He told her, a light and brief chuckle resting at his lips before he turned to look at her once more. "Right, Sal?"

The smile faded away from his lips and the cool aura whisked itself off into oblivion the instant his gaze met hers, causing the hedgehog to slowly lower his arm and raise his eyebrows in surprise. Burning within her eyes was something so powerful and mighty, something so over-whelmingly strong that it silenced Sonic right then and there. Accompanied with a fresh wave of tears that was steadily growing closer to spilling over with every second and a shaking body that barely seemed capable of holding itself up, the very sight of her eyes effectively wiped his slate clean. Without even having to open her mouth and say his name, Sally picked every word right off his tongue and stole every thought away that was jumbling around in his mind.

What… what exactly was going on in her mind, her head? No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he thought about it, Sonic couldn't place what was raging within her. But even if he could, the hedgehog was sure it wouldn't have mattered in the slightest.

One moment, Sally was standing there, shivering and staring and soaking wet with her hand clasped tight over her mouth. The next, she had thrown herself at the hedgehog, wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in her chest, and released a heart-wrenching cry that was followed by a multitude of sobs and hiccups. There, safe with the man she loved, the princess allowed the tears to fall freely. He was here, and he was home, and he was alive, and she simply couldn't believe it, and she couldn't let him go, and she never wanted to lose him again, and he was…

Stunned, to be completely honest. Utterly and totally astounded by her single action. Never in his seventeen years could he recall a time when Sally had cried so hard. Not once could he think of a moment where she had quite literally sobbed out loud, dropped her walls so quickly, and suddenly revealed how broken she really was. Never had he seen her like this. And never did he want to see her like this again.

Relaxing his body as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her shaking form, burying his nose in her hair and closing his eyes at the same time, Sonic allowed a soft smile to decorate his expression. "I'm sorry, Sal. I didn't mean to hurt you."

In-between the sobs that ruled her body and the tears that choked her out, Sally uncovered the energy to force out a single string of words, "Don't… don't leave me again." Before the sobs took over once more.

With a slight nod, Sonic chuckled, "Wouldn't dream of it." And held her tight.

She cried for a long, long time. And in fact, when she pulled away to finally look at his face, tears were still streaming down her face and sobs were still driving hiccups up her throat. There simply was no hope for her crying to end right off the bat. Yet in spite of the fact that she couldn't find it within herself to control her tears or calm her breathing, as she gazed into those emerald green eyes she had missed so much, she discovered enough energy to swallow the lump in her throat, stand up on her tip-toes, wrap her arms around his neck, and pull him into a kiss.

There was no saying how long their kiss lasted. The rain poured around them and their hearts beat within them, but there was no way to keep track of the time. To the hero and his princess, it felt like only a second had passed when they both pulled away and ended the kiss, their lungs begging for air and their hearts pumping wildly.

"I love you, Sally Alicia Acorn." Sonic told her, both breathless and blissful. "Always have, always will."

"And I love you, Sonic Maurice Hedgehog." Sally replied, her voice a combination of a laugh and a cry, heavy tears still streaming down her face. "So don't… don't you ever think of leaving me again. Cause if you do… I'll—"

"Use my middle name to threaten me, then proceed to hunt me down and gut me like a fish?"

The princess shrugged, "I was going to say stalk you and give you nightmares about having to go swimming without a life jacket or life guard, but that works too." And together, the two Freedom Fighters laughed and held tighter to one another, Sally resting her head on his chest, and Sonic pressing his nose into her hair. Never again, they promised, would they have to say goodbye to one another. Never again would either one of them have to walk alone…

"Wow," A single feminine voice whistled, filled with an equal mix of shock and amusement, and thus causing the two Mobians to jump in their spots and glance around wildly, "I missed a lot, didn't I?" Before they realized in unison that the voice had come from Sally's wristwatch. "What all just happened, anyway? How on Mobius is Sonic alive?"

As the princess pulled her wrist up to eye level, wide smiles decorating both of their faces, Sonic laughed. "It's a long story, Nicole. But trust me when I say this," He said, stealing a moment to glimpse at Sally, smile, and tighten his grip around her. "It was worth it."

Smiling in return, Sally nodded, giggled, and wiped her eyes before throwing her arms back around him. "Yeah, it was." She agreed, her heart and lungs finally regulating as she closed her eyes and pressed her head back against his chest, causing him to rest his chin on top of her head as a result. Oh, she was never letting him go again. Never, never, never…

"You know what, Sal?" Sonic supposed aloud after a time, his voice soft, warm, and so perfect to the princess. "It's great to be home."

Nodding in return, Sally answered him, "Yes, it is. It really is."

And other than the tender pitter-patter of the rain, it was silent, peaceful, and safe.

It was home.

**The End ~ To Be Continued**

* * *

><p>Mobius has been saved. The price has been paid. And the hero and princess have been reunited. But the tale isn't over. No, it isn't even close.<p>

Today, I am happy to share with all of you the final chapter of my fanfiction, Fragile. Your favorites, reviews, and follows have meant so much to me, and your support has served as the driving force behind this story. Thank you so much for joining me, Sonic, and Sally on this wonderful journey! Your support has meant so much to me! XD

In addition to releasing the final chapter of Fragile, today, I am happy to announce that after I spend a bit of time on a few other writing projects, Fragile will be getting a sequel. If you all want to stick around to find out what has happened to the Freedom Fighters and Geoffrey, and if you want to see what will become of Sonic and Sally in their journey to find them, make sure you pay close attention to the future stories I'll be releasing. :) The title to Fragile's sequel is Last Breath, so be on the look out for it in the near future!

Thanks to heroman45, BlazingEdge, the Guest, Sapphireflame31, Cypheron94, and karygarcia21 for your reviews last time! Thank you so much for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews you have left, and thanks to all of the silent readers who have been following this story as well!

A very special thanks goes out to Thomas Holmes II, Solarknight117, brave kid, ShadowEmpress76, Spider-Guy, and SSJ04 for all of your constant support to this story and the reviews you left. Thanks to all of you who have stayed with me from beginning to end, to those who joined halfway in, and to those who left early. Even if you weren't here to see the end, your support meant a lot to me, and you words always brought a smile to my face. Thank you so very, very much.

Along with Last Brief and my own personal story, I'm also working on several other projects right now. I'm currently finishing up my 100 theme Sonsal/Sonally challenge, A Hero and His Princess, and I'm also working on two collab projects with two authors right here on Fanfiction! If you want to know more about them, feel free to check out Solarknight117's profile, and the S.C.A.L.E.R. one-shot of my SuperSonic One-Shot Collection! Additionally, in the future, I plan to write an Attack on Titan fanfic. But that's another tale for another day...

So with all this being said, I leave you with the fully completed tale of Fragile. Though I will be going back and updating a bit of things in the earlier chapters, Ia ask you all to enjoy the story now! Thank you all so much for everything you've done! :D

Espionage247 out! Until next time! :D


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